The Sins Within Us :: Vampire Knight :: HIATUS
by NaiveLittleDreamer
Summary: What exactly is she?" Ichijou asked. "She's someone with a misfortunate past," Kaname answered, "and has to suffer for the reckless mistake of someone who was once close to her."
1. Intruder

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[1] Intruder

T h e night was silent and held a foreboding stillness in its air as the prefect patrolled the school grounds of the Night Class. Zero Kiriyu did not have the chance to skip his duties tonight for his partner, Yuuki, was in bed resting with a cold. She had insisted that it was nothing, but her father, Chairman Cross, had begged her persistently to stay in bed for her own good, leaving Zero no choice but to patrol the grounds himself. His head tilted back to lean against a wall as he closed his eyes. His attempt to relax was cut short as a hair-raising wail reverberated in the trees nearby. Startled into alertness, the white haired boy rushed into the mass of trees following the horrid sounds.

Not much farther into the forest, the wails had been replaced with terrified screams of fear, causing Zero quicken his pace. His head whipped around in an attempt to find the search of the screaming. It was no use. The wails and screams echoed off the trees, making it just about impossible to trace the sounds to their source. Frustrated, the boy was prepared to go running off in one direction, when, a blur of movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention just as the screams suddenly quieted.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zero turned to face the cause of the wails.

Two forms were at the scene: One was unconscious- a female day student- her limp form sprawled on the leafy ground, blood oozing from two places in her neck in thick other hardly appeared to be human. She was perched above the unconscious girl, red liquid staining her lips and face. Scarlet hair framed her face and stood out in all directions, giving her a wild, animal like appearance. At Zero's arrival, she jerked her head up in a fierce manner, baring her crimson-stained teeth, as she locked her eyes onto him.

The creature seemed to be a Level E, but if it had been one, it would've leaped at Zero by now. On the contrary, it remained in a crouched position, intently observing the boy with its savage eyes.

Though confused as to what the creature really was, Zero reached into his uniform pocket and drew out his gun. The creature's blood-colored, glowing red eyes seemed to have no emotion other than pure animal instinct as her gaze followed his weapon. Disgusted, Zero aimed the gun at her head and as he was about to pull the trigger, a hand reached out and grasped his arm in a firm grip. Startled by the newcomer, the pale haired boy turned his head, his gaze shifting from the Level E like creature to the newcomer.

"Kiriyu, I think it would be best if you would let me handle this situation," The voice was calm, though it seeped with a hate towards something other than the 's eyes narrowed slightly at the Dorm Leader of the Night Class, Kuran Kaname. He opened his mouth to question the Pureblood, but didn't get his chance to argue. Impatient to get back to her meal and growing irritated of the two, the wild vampire launched itself onto Kaname, snarls ripping from her throat, fangs ready to tear.

Taken by surprise, the Pureblood was knocked onto his back. "GO KIRIYU! RUN!" He bellowed to Zero. "Leave this to me!" Reluctant, Zero lifted up the injured student, and rushed out of the trees.

As soon as the prefect was safely out of the woods, Kaname took hold of the girl by her shoulders and wrestled her to the ground. She put up quite a fight, slashing at his face with her nails, but, being a Pureblood, he was stronger. He pinned her down to the leaf-littered soil, holding her by the throat with one hand. With his free hand, he reached towards the girl's head. A violet light soon began to illuminate his hand and slowly, the female's struggles died down and her eyes drooped shut.

Sighing heavily, Kuran removed himself off of the girl and crouched down at her side. His eyes were locked onto her wrist where something was lacking. The vampire cursed under his breath, then without deliberating his decision, he lifted the girl and carried her towards the dorms.

---

Kaname stood beside the long couch where the female creature lay, his head swimming with memories, and his thoughts, disorderly. His companions stood around, curious, but did not dare question their leader's decision. Ichijou broke the silence and stepped forward. "Kaname-sama, what are we going to do with her?"

Oblivious to the question, the Pureblood remained lost in his thoughts.

"Kaname...?" The green-eyed vampire called out again, reaching a hand to the dorm leader's shoulder.

This time, Kaname turned and replied. "Hm?"

Ichijou removed his hand and, instead of repeating his previous question, he asked a new one, "What is she?"

Kaname stepped closer to the knocked out form on the sofa and studied her face. Her short scarlet hair was cast out on the sofa around her face in an unkempt and unruly mess. The skin around her lips had not been cleaned and was stained with dried blood. He reached a hand as if to stroke her cheek, then, remembering the seven pairs of eyes on him, pulled his hand back. "She's someone with a misfortunate past," He answered, "and has to suffer for the reckless mistake of someone who was once close to her."There was an awkward silence for a moment where every other vampire in the room had their eyes on their superior, wondering how he knew this girl. Repeating Ichijou's earlier question, Aidou took a step closer to the Pureblood and asked, "What are we going to do with her then?"

Seeming to be troubled by his thoughts, Kaname put a hand to his face, heaving out a sigh in the process. Giving their Dorm Leader time to think, the members of the Night Class remained silent and patient.

Finally coming to a decision, the Pureblood said, "Ichijou, please go to the Chairman's office and tell him that I will be over to talk to him tomorrow. I'm sure that Kiriyu has already informed the Chairman on the situation in the forest, but let Chairman Cross know that I will still go over to the office to let him know what's happening here."

At this order, the blond vampire nodded and in a few swift strides, he was out the door and shutting it silently behind him without question to the order.

"What about the rest of us?" Aidou asked.

The Pureblood glanced briefly at him before turning to the sofa and saying, "Get going to class, of course." In a smooth, fluid movement, Kaname had the limp form in his arms and was carrying her up the stairs.

Reaching his room, he turned and pushed the door open with his back then rested the girl onto his bed. His eyebrows pulled together in an uneasy manner as he reached towards her neck where two small scars lingered. As his cold fingers brushed against her skin, she stirred, but did not wake.

"What am I going to do with you?" The Pureblood contemplated. He turned to the bathroom and came back with a damp cloth. Seating himself on the bedside, he began to wipe off the dried blood. "There." Kaname said, once her face was ridden of any traces of blood. Once again he looked down at the girl's wrist where there were small scars that criss-crossed around it. He held it delicately in his hand as he traced the marks with a finger. A small frown began to grow on his lips. "This is a problem. I wonder how you lost it...?" The vampire stood, pulled a small wooden box out from under his bed, then sat back down beside the girl.

The box was small and had metal decor, framing its edges and corners. Otherwise, it was very simple. The letter 'A' was carved in calligraphy at the top.

"Ah," Kaname said, lifting up the lid of the box, "here we go." In the metal framed wooden box was a thin silver chain. He pulled out of the box and held it in his palm. At the center of the chain was a peculiar locket with several tiny points extending out of it. Kaname opened it with his thumb. Then, bringing his index finger to his lips, he bit down on it with a fang to draw blood and held it over the bracelet to fill the small locket with the red liquid. "Aren't you lucky that we had two of these made?" He smiled humorlessly as he fastened the chain around the girl's wrist and cleaned off his finger.

Kaname shut the lid of the box and tossed it carelessly back underneath his bed. He pushed himself up, and leaned on the post of the four-poster. His eyes never left the girl's face. When he looked at her, those auburn irises were endless. There was so much guilt behind them.

A soft knock on the door disrupted his contemplation and caught his attention. He turned

to face Chairman Cross, standing in his doorway.

"Ichijou came to talk to me," He said, as the dorm leader motioned for him to come in, then turned once again to the girl.

"Do you know who she is?" Chairman Cross asked.

Kaname turned his full attention to the Chairman. "Do you remember Miss Kurushii-sama?"

The Chairman nodded. "Ah, yes. The famed hunter of her time." His gaze shifted over to the figure on the bed. "What does she-..." His voice trailed as realization hit him. "Is it her?" He asked, not seeming completely convinced.

Kaname nodded.

"How did she get here?" Chairman asked, confused as to what the creature in the forest had to do with this girl being here.

The dorm leader let out a shaky sigh. "She was the creature who attacked the student in the forest."

Chairman Cross's head whipped towards the pureblood, his eyes wide. "What? You mean she isn't human anymore? Is she... Level E?" Although he trusted Kaname's decisions, his tone was disapproving.

Kaname shut his eyes and struggled with the words. "In a sense, yes... but she's not completely..." He exhaled, distressed.

The Chairman interjected, seeing the vampire's troubled state. "Say no more. I trust you, Kaname-kun, right? We will make arrangements tomorrow as to what will happen to her. As for now, I need you to come with me and modify the Day Student's memory of this night."

"Of course." Kaname nodded slightly as he faced away from the bed and followed the Chairman out of the room, locking the door behind him.

**A/N:: **_Please feel free to review! I'd like to hear people's thoughts/opinions on my writing._


	2. Wakening

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[2] Wakening

K u r a n Kaname stepped out of the Chairman's office with a parcel tucked underneath his arm. He had just finished making arrangements with Chairman Cross about the school's intruder last night. He had explained everything to the Chairman, and now the school was to have a new student. Kaname stepped into his dorm building and out of the night, carrying the package up the stairs. He was greeted at the top of the steps by the vice-dorm leader, Ichijou.

"Good evening Kaname-sama!" There was a warm grin on the blond's face. He received a small smile in return from the dorm leader.

"Has she woken up yet?" Kaname asked, continuing his walk to his room.

Ichijou, stepping into stride beside the him, shook his head. "Not quite yet. Although, she has been moving around more. I think she's about wake soon."

"That's good." the Pureblood gripped the cold brass doorknob of his dorm room. "I didn't expect her to stay out for this long." He cast his blond classmate a sideways glace before opening his door.

It was clear to Ichijou that Kaname wanted to be alone when the girl woke, so he gave his higher-up a parting smile, and turned to walk in the other direction. "I'll see you later then, Kaname-sama!"

Kuran pulled the door shut behind him as he walked into his room. The dorm room was dark. The only light that filled the room was the moonlight that filtered through the gaps in beams where the curtain didn't cover the window. The vampire couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight of the girl. He tossed the parcel onto the head of the bed and crossed his arms, amused. The girl was positioned precariously on the bed. One wrong movement and she'd wake up with a harsh collision with the floor. Her head was at the foot of the bed, her left limbs dangling. A force of habit caused Kaname to glance at her wrist, confirming that the silver chain was still fastened around it.

He stretched himself on the long sofa in the center of his room to wait for the girl to wake up. The minutes ticked, and Kaname continued to watch her, waiting for her to move in the slightest. The girl still hadn't shifted and Kaname could already hear the footsteps of his classmates walking to their rooms. Classes were out. The vampire was perplexed. He was sure that he hadn't meant to keep her out for this long. He pushed himself up to stand and walked over to the bed. He crouched down so that his face was level with the girl's. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful manner, and she looked so much more calm than when he knocked her out yesterday. It seemed as though her features changed completely.

Yesterday, she was this furious creature with animal instinct. Every expression she made was filled with such anger and thirst. And now, she looked so much more relaxed. There was even a hint of a smile on her somewhat open mouth, where, Kaname noticed, a slight wetness was trickling out. He trailed his thumb down the corner of her mouth, wiping away the traces of dribble and let out a quiet chuckle which seemed to be startling and unusually loud in the room that had been silent for so long.

Evidently, the sound alarmed the girl. Her eyes shot open along with her mouth which let out a flustered scream. Her arms flailed, and, being at the edge of the bed, she rolled off and toppled onto Kaname. Her screams stopped as soon as her head collided with something hard- the floor. She sat herself up and began rubbing her head. She muttered something under her breath, then, puzzled, she looked at her surroundings. "Where the hell-" She put her hands to the floor, which she realized was moving rhythmically up and down. Was the floor...breathing?

"Language, please."

Her eyes widened as she realized she was sitting on someone's stomach, not the floor. He propped himself up on his elbows, but that was as much as he could do since the girl was still on top of him.

"Would you mind getting off?" Kaname asked, a joking tone in his voice.

The girl remained sitting, her eyes frozen to the size of saucers. By the way she gaped at him, it seemed that the girl recognized the dorm leader. "Is it- H-how? But, you…" She began to stutter, confused beyond belief. She removed herself off of the boy and onto the floor beside him. Finally free, Kaname sat up.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, reaching towards her shoulder.

"K-Kaname!" She yelled as she flung herself onto him. Once again, they were both on the floor.

He chuckled, and propped himself back up on his elbows again. The girl remained on his lap, her arms looped around his neck. She pressed her lips together and her forehead creased, confused.

"How am I-" Her question was cut off by a hard slam. Both their heads turned toward the door which been rammed open.

Standing in the doorway with his arm outstretched on the door was the blue eyed vampire, Aidou. Beside him was Ruka, her eyes filled with concern. Seeing the girl on their beloved leader, Aidou's expression quickly altered from worry, to rage. His mouth opened, prepared to yell at the girl for being out of her place when Kaname stood, pulling up the girl with him.

"K-Kaname-sama, what's going on?!" Aidou demanded, rushing to the Pureblood. "Who the hell does she think she is?!" He turned to the girl and went off. "You have no right to-"

Kaname's arm outstretched and delivered a blow to the blond's face, silencing him and causing him to stagger backwards. Aidou lowered his head, ashamedly. "G-gomenasai, Kaname-sama."

Kaname looked over at Ruka in the doorway. Behind her, two more people were approaching.

Akatsuki Kain looked over at his cousin, who was holding a hand to his face. Knowing Aidou's usual adoring behavior to the Pureblood, he put two and two together and reasoned out what had happened: His cousin spoke out of place and was delivered a well-deserved blow. Akatsuki shook his head.

In all the commotion the girl had seated herself on the bed, her eyes scanning everyone in the room, which was now beginning to gain more light through the windows.

Ichijou had walked over to Kaname, holding a private conversation that no one seemed to notice. The pureblood nodded and Ichijou turned to face the other three vampires."Alright everyone," He said, catching their attention. "morning is nearing and I know we're all a bit irritable. Why don't we all just calm down, and leave our new guest to be taken care of by Kaname-sama?" He walked towards the door, grabbing hold of Aidou's arm in the process, half dragging him out of the room.

"C'mon, Ruka." The tall, orange haired Night Student placed a firm hand on his classmate's shoulder and guided her out into the hallway, pulling shut the door.

Kaname turned to the bed. "You've been awake for less than ten minutes and already you're causing aggravation to my classmates."

Ignoring this statement completely, the girl's face fell into a frown as she looked up at the brown haired male. "How is it possible that I'm here?-- wherever 'here' is..." She added as an afterthought, realizing she had no clue where she was. Her eyes flickered to the window. "The last I remember, I was walking home. My guard was down and I was knocked out from behind. While I was out, I could tell I was being robbed." She locked her eyes with Kaname's copper gaze. "I can't recall ever waking up. Everything went red...and, the next thing I know, I'm falling out of your bed."

Kaname inhaled deeply, then released it. Settling himself onto the bed beside the redhead, he began to recount their encounter in the forest. When the telling was done, the girl fell back into the pillows, her eyes fixated on the ceiling.

"You mean I... is the girl okay?!" She asked, jerking upright. "I didn't kill her did I?"

Kaname shook his head, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "No. The girl is alive. Her memory's been altered and she's recovering quite well." He hesitated. "But..."

The girl's face fell. "But you can't say the same for all my other victims, can you?"

Kaname pulled her into him. "None of it was your fault." He whispered. She pushed away from him. "How can you say that? I lost control and killed who knows how MANY PEOPLE!!" Her voice shot up, panicking. "I-I'm a killer." She stammered. "All those people. I-" Her head whipped around, searching for something. A bathroom.

She spotted the open door and leaped off the bed towards it. Not bothering to shut the door behind her, the girl bent over the sink and retched. She took in deep gasping breaths, gripping the ceramic sink tightly with her fingers. Reaching over, she turned on the faucet and ran the water.

Walking into the bathroom, Kaname grabbed a towel off a rack and handed it to her.

The girl rinsed out her mouth with the cool, fluid water, and wiped her face with the towel. She backed up against the wall then slid down to the floor, burying her face in her knees.

Kuran sat on the cold tiles beside her, wrapping an arm around her. "You're trembling..." He murmured. He knew she was crying. He could hear her soft sobs, muffled against her knees.

As the girl began to compose herself, the sobs died down. For a moment she was still, then she raised her head and stared intently at the pureblood. "There's something I don't understand." She raised her arm and examined the chain. "If I had this on, why did I lose control?"

Kaname was tentative. "When I found you in the forest, the bracelet was gone."

"Then how do I have it now?"

A smirk appeared on the boy's lips. His eyes gleamed with an 'I-told-you-so' expression. "That's the second bracelet. See? I said we should have a spare, right?"

The girl's expression fell to a scowl. "I probably lost the bracelet when I was being robbed! That's why that event was the last thing I remember. Those bastar-"

Kaname shoved his hand onto her face, covering her mouth. "You have such an indecent vocabulary."

The girl pulled at his hand, removing it off of her face, her expression shifting to unease.

"Hey," the male vampire cupped the girl's face in his hands, captivating her in his eyes. "If anyone should be feeling guilt it should be-"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence!" The redheaded girl jumped up to her feet, glowering at Kaname, who was now standing up as well. The female stormed out of the bathroom, crossing her legs as she plopped herself down on the bed once again.

Kaname joined her, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "You know it's true, though. If it wasn't-"

Once more, she cut him off. "Shut. Up." She growled at him through clenched teeth. "Just drop it, okay?!" Her voice had a sharp edge, agitated with the topic.

The Pureblood let out a breath, sighing his consent. He reached across the girl and took hold of the parcel at the end of the bed.

"What's that?" She asked as he rested the package on his lap.

"Here," Kuran handed it to the female.

She took it, interested, then opened it hastily. It was apparent on her face that the contents of the box were not what she expected. She lifted up the outfit inside. "A uniform?" She shot Kaname a look that seemed to question his sanity. "What the hel-k?" She caught Kaname's hard stare and quickly altered her curse into a word less offensive.

"Yes," the pureblood smiled, his teeth glistening. "It is a uniform. You will be attending school here."

One eyebrow raised on the girl's forehead as she analyzed the attire. "A skirt. You have got to be kidding me. I thought you knew me better than this!"

Kaname's grin was replaced with an amused smirk. "I think it will be a nice change. Why don't you try it on? Your classes are just about to start."


	3. To Class

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[3] To Class

" O h , wipe that scowl off your face!" Kaname grinned at the girl, now dressed in the school's uniform. "You look... what's the word? -Neat, for once."

The scowl was wiped off her face, only to be replaced with a glare towards the male vampire. The girl looked uncomfortable in her own skin, tugging at the skirt, and yanking at the tie around her neck.

The Pureblood chuckled, stepping towards the redhead. "Here, let me." The red tie laced around his fingers, and he twisted it into the ribbon that was part of the uniform. He was about to crouch down, to pull up the socks that slumped at her ankles, when there was a soft tap.

Both heads turned towards the door.

One of the other vampires was there, looking somewhat sleepy. He pulled a face, though, as he gave the girl in the uniform a once over. "Is she ready?" He asked.

She tilted her head slightly as she looked at Kaname. "What does he mean by that?"Kaname gave her a slight nudge to her shoulder, turning her to the door. "Aidou is going to walk you to your class so you don't get lost," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing. "Normally, I'd have Ichijou do it, but he's been busy, and I'd like to let him sleep.

The girl walked towards the blond, turning her head to give Kaname a confused glance, wondering why he couldn't take her himself. She didn't get a chance to say anything, for the other male vampire had tugged at her wrist and was pulling the door shut.

"Pull up your socks!" She heard the Pureblood call as the door clicked shut. Aidou was just about dragging her through the hall, then down the stairs. When they reached the door leading outside, the girl stopped him, jerking her arm out of his grip.

"What is your problem?" She asked, her tone holding an irritated edge.

Aidou kept silent and he shoved her lightly out the open door. Once both of them were outside, he pushed it shut, but still didn't answer. His eyes narrowed and he glowered silently at her as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" She spat out, crossing her arms across her chest.

The blond still didn't say anything, though he began to walk away from the scampered after him, attempting to keep up with his long strides. "Do you have issues with me? Do I even_ know_ you?" Her questions remained unanswered, so she assaulted him with more. "What did I do to you? Can you talk? Are you _always_ this cranky this early In-" She was silenced when a hand was slapped onto her mouth.

"Shut. Up." The two words were growled through the male's teeth.

The girl pulled his hand away, then smirked, satisfied. "Well, that answers at least one of my questions..." She muttered to herself.

Aidou heaved out an aggravated sigh, which sounded more like a growl when it passed through his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, more possibly to yell, when the redhead beat him to it.

"Ah!" She exclaimed, recognition hitting her. "You're the one that Kaname-kun smacked last night!"

His eyes narrowed as he glared at the girl for bringing it up. To his surprise, she was shaking. His anger vanished and he wondered if her had done something to cause the it. Aidou stretched an arm towards her, when he realized what she was doing-- laughing.

"I- I'm… Ha ha… So-rr-y," She said between giggles.

The blond once again glared at the girl, but with this time, less anger, and more uncertainty. "What?" He asked.

The girl pressed a fist to her mouth, suppressing her snickers. When the laughs were contained, she apologized, still smiling. "Ah, sorry, its just, Kaname-kun shut you up pretty good last night, huh?"

Aidou arched an eyebrow, his expression questioning the girl's sanity. His anger failing to return, his tone loss all traces of a threatening quality. "And that's funny to you?"

The girl nodded, her face plastered into a grin. "You're Aidou," She paused, testing how the name rolled off her tongue. "Right?"

He nodded, his mood seeming to have switched suddenly. "Yeah." An indication of a smile was playing on his lips, interested and mischievous. "Yeah," he repeated. "But I don't think _you've_ been introduced to _me_."

"Right, well," She paused, her eyes darting around and blinking as if she were having trouble remembering something.

Aidou tilted his head down, giving her an incredulous stare. "You're kidding right? You're not about to tell me that you don't know your own name, are you?" The blond rolled his eyes, reaching a hand out to the girl. With a solid 'thunk' she received a slight whack on the head. "Does that help?"

The girl's grin vanished immediately and was swapped with a frown. "What the hell was that for?!" She demanded, her own hand lurching forward to deliver a fist to the male's chest.

He swayed, only just, then regained his balance. "Ouch!" He chuckled. "I thought it would help jog your memory."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Well did it?" The blond pressed.

The girl frowned, hesitating. After releasing a sigh, she nodded, irked with the male for some reason beyond her knowing. She pondered on this for a moment. The male vampire waited beside the girl, staring intently at her. When it seemed as if she wouldn't be exiting her thoughts any time soon, Aidou gave her a slight nudge with his elbow. "Well?"

Shoved out of her thoughts, the girl shook her head, sending her scarlet locks flying about. "What?" She asked, blinking a couple times in confusion. "Oh! Sorry." The grin pasted itself back onto her face as she introduced herself. "I'm Aiyri."

Aidou shook his head, letting out a chuckle. "Aiyri, then? Are you sure?" He teased, tapping a fist lightly on her chin.

A roll of her eyes was the reply he received.

"Well, Aiyri," The blonde's arm snaked itself onto her shoulders, guiding the girl forward. "You're going to be late for class unless we start walking. We've wasted enough time standing around." Aidou began walking, tugging the redhead along beside him.

Upon entering the school building, Aiyri took note of the multitude of worshiping stares and adoring squeals that Aidou received from many of the female students. She, on the other hand, obtained the pleasure of receiving murderous glares from several other girls, which she returned with her own equally threatening scowls.

"Aidou," The blond turned his head toward her and momentarily stopped waving to his crowds of fans. "Are they_,_" Aiyri gestured toward the girls with their eyes narrowed towards her, "always this homicidal to new students?"

The male vampire let out a laugh that chimed in the air. Several girls swooned at this. "No," He stated. "Most of the time they're like _that_."

Aiyri shot a glare toward another female student who was staring her down with eyes seeming intent to kill. "Then why-"

Aidou answered, not waiting for her question to finish. "Most likely, they're jealous."

"Huh?" Aiyri asked, still not understanding what the other students were jealous of. Then it hit her. Aidou. "So they're plotting my murder because you're walking with me?"

The blond let out another chuckle. "Yes." He pulled her closer towards him with the arm wrapped around her shoulder, and bent his head down to whisper, "But I'm sure you can take care of yourself. Make sure you do, I wouldn't want to lose you on your first day here."

He smiled again, amusement shining in his eyes, and looked into the classroom at which they had now just arrived at. He gave Aiyri a shove into the room, more playfully now than earlier this morning when he was angry.

She eyed him warily as he gave her a reassuring wink. She sighed. "I'll see you later then, Aidou…-" She stopped, not knowing what title to address him with.

"_Kun_." He finished for her. "'Aidou-kun' sounds nice, eh, Aiyri-chan?"

She nodded, without failing to roll her eyes. "Sure."

The redhead watched the male vampire turn, but before he took a step forward, he spun back around to look in the classroom. "Oi! Yuuki!"

Aiyri turned her head to follow Aidou's stare. A female student, her head resting on the desk, looked up, her weary eyes finding the vampire in the doorway.

"Aidou-senpai?" Her attentive tone was oddly in contrast with her fatigued expression. "What is it?"

Aidou looked over to the redheaded new student. "Yuuki, keep an eye on my new playmate."

Aiyri scoffed at this as she took a seat behind the girl Aidou was speaking to. Yuuki turned in her seat to give a welcoming smile to her new classmate. Then, twisting back to face Aidou, she nodded. "Yes, of course."

With a parting grin, the blond turned and walked away. Once he was out of sight, a mass of heads turned towards Aiyri, all with death-sentencing, resentful glares on their redhead frowned, scanning the room and returned each unfriendly stare with a hostile scowl. "What?!" She jumped up in her seat, her hands gripping the edge of the desk tightly. "Do you think if you glare hard enough then I'll dissipate into the air? I suggest that all of you quit your pathetic attempts to scare me before I'm forced smash in your skulls!" The threat was a bit exaggerated- She wouldn't smash their skulls- but nonetheless, if provoked, Aiyri would give the other girls a thrashing they wouldn't get over.

Before anyone could reply to the threat, a high-pitched humming vibrated in the room and someone walked in. The teacher. "Alright everyone, please be seated the bell has rung." The girls who were all still standing around hurried to their seats. Aiyri slumped down, disappointed that she didn't get to hit anyone.

"If everyone is finished bickering with one another, class has started."


	4. Burdens

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[4] Burdens

The class droned on tediously, expending Aiyri's patience. The first five minutes of class, she struggled to pay attention. Failing at that attempt, she proceeded to at least keep herself occupied. She cupped a hand underneath her chin, and stared past a few students to gaze out the window. It was bright outside, the sky a clear blue, with small white puffs drifting with the slight breeze of the day. Aiyri's mouth turned down slightly at the corners, wishing she was outside running, rather than sitting through a class that taught her no useful information.

For duration of the school day, she had been in her thoughts, tuning out the voice of the teacher. When the final bell of the day rang, Aiyri jumped onto her feet, gathering her new books that she had been given. Bounding down the steps two at a time, she rushed to the doorway, eager to get outside.

Once outside of the building, she slowed, then paused, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. The air was cool, and crisp, refreshing in contrast to the stuffy classroom. The redhead enjoyed this, loving the way the air smelled so... _clean. She_ stood still for a moment, hugging her books to her, and relished how the sun warmed her skin, how the breeze kissed her face. Then another scent entered her nostrils, one she recognized. Aiyri turned her head, opening her eyes.

There, leaning nonchalantly against the brick wall of the building, was the blond vampire from this morning. Aiyri looked around, wondering why the two of them were free of obsessing screams, when she realized there was no one around.

Aidou smiled, pushing himself off the wall.

"When did you get here?" Aiyri asked him, never noticing his presence before.

He shrugged. "Just now, really. You looked like you were enjoying yourself." Aidou took a step towards the girl, still smiling.

Automatically, she sidestepped away from him, avoiding contact with his arm. He didn't seem to notice, or pretended not to, as he began walking and motioned for Aiyri to follow.

"Where are we going?" She asked, as she trailed along beside the blond.

Aidou looked down at her, meeting her curious eyes. "The chairman wants to see you. Something about welcoming you."

Aiyri looked away from him, keeping her eyes forward as she said, "Oh."

As the two reached the office of the Chairman, Aidou stopped outside the door.

"You go in," He told the girl, his blue eyes quickly shifting to the large wooden door, then back to her face.

Aiyri's brow furrowed, slightly puzzled. "Okay." It sounded like a question to her. She placed a hand on the cold brass knob, twisted it, then pushed open the door. It closed quietly behind her as she released the knob.

"Hello, Aiyri-chan! I am Chairman Cross." A man behind the desk was grinning broadly at her, even his eyes were smiling behind his circular glasses.

_This was the Chairman? _Aiyri silently appraised him, her expression slightly confused. _I always pictured a chairman more... _official_ looking._

She quickly finished her scrutiny as she answered the Chairman's greeting. "Konichiwa, Chairman-sama." Aiyri bent forward in the most minor of movements, bowing, then straightened herself.

The Chairman stepped out from behind his desk and gestured to a chair. "Sit, sit! Please, make yourself comfortable!" He merely stood in front of the wood desk, his hand waving to a chair.

The redhead took a seat.

Satisfied, the Chairman launched into a conversation. "So Aiyri, how was your first day here? Did you make any new friends?"

"Today was fine. I didn't really make any friends, per se," She remembered the girls who wanted to play the role of her executioner, and stifled a laugh. "There is one girl, though. Yuuki? She was nice."

The Chairman's eyes seemed to sparkle at the mention of his adopted child. "Ah! Yuuki! She's my daughter, you know. She's such a good girl. I'm glad you met her!"

At a loss for words, Aiyri simply smiled and nodded.

"Now, Aiyri." Chairman Cross suddenly took on a more official tone. "Kaname," -his eyes suddenly flashed to the back of the room then back to the girl- "has informed me on how you arrived here at my school. He has also requested that you be placed in the day class. I was curious as to why. With your difference to the Day Class, I would have put you in the same class as Kaname."

Aiyri suddenly but in. "The difference being that I'm a vampire?"

The Chairman nodded.

"Then why _am_ I in the Day Class? I was wondering about that..."

"Because," A voice other than the Chairman's spoke. It came from behind Aiyri, startling her. "You have a bit more _humanity_ than the rest of us."

Aiyri didn't need to turn to recognized who the voice belonged to. Soon enough, he was sitting in the chair beside her.

"Kaname, you said something similar to me this morning when we spoke. You didn't, however, explain to me what you meant." The Chairman's gaze was curious, looking at Kaname then Aiyri, and then back again. "What do you mean by that?"

The dorm leader sighed heavily. "Aiyri, please show the Chairman your bracelet."

Obediently, the girl lifted her arm up, letting Chairman Cross examine the chain around her wrist.

The Chairman held the girl's hand in his, gently turning it to better observe the bracelet. "This is... quite different to most of the jewelry I've seen. Is it-"

"Yes," Kaname had cut in. "Its, lets say 'charmed' in a way."

The Chairman was nodding, his eyes closed in thought. "I remember the bracelet I gave Yuuki; The one to stop Zer-"

"This one works in a much different manner though." The pureblood had interrupted once again. "It doesn't paralyze or harm in any way. Its what keeps Aiyri _controlled._" He gritted his teeth at the word, his auburn eyes suddenly holding an immense amount of pain, which disappeared as quickly as it came.

"How?" Was the Chairman's question.

Aiyri answered him now, tired of keeping silent. "It has Kaname's blood in it."

The Chairman's features showed clear signs of confusion.

The redhead looked towards the Kaname, as if checking to make sure that explaining was permitted. He nodded and she explained more.

"If you didn't know before hand, to keep a victim of a vampire bite from dropping to a Level E, that person must drink the blood of the pureblood that changed him or her. If the newly changed vampire drinks from a pureblood, but _not_ the one that changed them, they will still eventually fall to Level E, but the time until then will be prolonged." Aiyri paused, her eyes holding a trace of ache as she remembered something, but then re-launched into her explanation.

"My case is different. I won't explain all the details, but the transformation was unlike the usual ones that happen. I was in danger of dropping to a Level E _much _sooner than everyone else who had been changed. Kaname, who I'd known since I was a baby, allowed me to drink his blood, in a futile attempt to help. Of course it didn't do much. But then we were blessed with a solution. My bracelet," She idly lifted her wrist to the Chairman, "has Kaname's blood. The back of the locket has tiny spikes that inject traces of Kaname's blood into my system. Its a peculiar way to keep me from becoming violently insane, but it works. As long as I have it on, I am completely in control of my thirst!" She smiled then, seeming proud of herself.

There was a silence that hung in the air as the Chairman soaked in this information. When he seemed to completely absorb all of that, he nodded once.

"Very well. Now that I am well informed on you, Miss Aiyri-chan, I can speak with you about a different matter." Chairman Cross walked back behind his desk and opened a drawer. He held out a strip of white cloth to Aiyri, smiling. On it was the school's symbol. "I'd like you to be a prefect."◊ ◊ ◊After meeting with Chairman Cross, Kaname had gone back to his dorms. Yuuki had been brought into the office by Aidou soon after, and her father had informed her about Aiyri being a vampire. She took it well, already aware of the existence of vampires in the school.

As she leaned on the gates of the Night Class dorms, Aiyri adjusted the new white strap of cloth on her arm that she had just received from the Chairman. She sighed. As if this uniform needs another stupid ornament.

"Is something wrong, Aiyri?" Yuuki had heard her classmate sigh.

Aiyri shook her head slowly, giving her classmate a reassuring smile. "No. I'm fine. Just a little irritated, I guess." Her eyes automatically darted to the throngs of girls that were beginning to appear in front of the Night Class gates.

Yuuki let out a light laugh, quiet and soft. "Just be careful when the Night Students come out. There's a considerable chance you may get trampled."

The redhead gave Yuuki an incredulous stare. "Ha! None of these girls stand a chance!" She jousted a fist forward triumphantly, getting carried away. Realizing she came within centimeters of punching Yuuki in the face, Aiyri apologized, giving her fellow student a sheepish grin. "Oops."

Yuuki Cross attempted to smile, pushing back the shock that had just hit her. "Its fine. You didn't actually hit me. I'm okay."

There was a silent moment that lingered between the two as Aiyri seemed to be caught up in her thoughts again.

"Yuuki," she started. "Do you do this alone?"

"Do what?"

"_This." _Aiyri gestured to the crowd of girls that seemed to have grown in the past few minutes. "Do you keep control of all these girls by yourself?"

Yuuki shook her head, lifting her hands palms forward. "No, no. My partner, Zero Kiriyu-kun isn't here..." Her voice trailed as her eyes slowly became vacant as she fell into her own thoughts.

Aiyri waved a hand in front of her current partner's face. "Yuuki? Yuuki!"

Snapping out of her trance, Yuuki shook her head, her brown locks flying around her face. "Oh. Sorry, Aiyri. I was just thinking."

Giving the brunette an uncertain glance, Aiyri pointed to the gates. "I think they're going to open soon. The other girls are getting restless." Aiyri turned to the crowds who were swarming around the large metal gate. "Alright everyone!" She yelled, waving her arms to force the other girls to one side of the gate way. "You need to give the Night Class room to walk! I mean, jeez!"

Yuuki followed what her partner was doing, in a less forceful manner. "Everyone, please stay calm! Stay behind the line and no pushing, please!"

Yuuki and Aiyri were just starting to get the hoard of fans to calm down, when the gates began to swing open. Screams filled the air as the Night Students came into view."Jeeze, people! Are you always like this?" Aiyri complained as her hands flew to her ears. "This is so stupid." She muttered.

On the other side, Yuuki was doing her best to keep the admirers of the Night Class in order. They seemed to be obedient enough, staying on the sidelines and squealing amongst themselves. One girl on Aiyri's side attempted to sneak towards the Night Class. The redhead scowled and dashed to the other student, grabbing the girl by the collar. "Hey! No crossing the line!" She curled her hand tightly. "See this?" She asked, waving a fist in the other girl's face. "You are going to be in _very _close proximity with this the next time you try to cross the line!" Aiyri released the girl's shirt, shoving her back into the crowd with the rest of the obsessing females. The student looked timidly over her shoulder, seeming as if she were about to burst into tears. Aiyri stared her down until her attention was caught when someone called her name.

"Aiyri," The voice said, laughs ringing musically. "You're not supposed to be scaring the girls half to death, you know."

Aiyri turned her head, facing the blond vampire from this morning. "Well as long as I'm keeping them from you and your class, I don't think it matters much whether I scare them or not. Besides, it serves them right for scheming to kill me."

Aidou laughed again, louder this time as he reached a hand to ruffle her hair. Aiyri made a disgruntled noise, but otherwise said nothing.

"Aidou-kun, Where's Kan-"

Yuuki's voice farther down the line- or rather the name she called- stopped short Aiyri's question. "Kaname-senpai!" Yuuki greeted, bowing slightly at the Night Class dorm leader. "Good evening!"

Kaname smiled at the prefect. "Good evening, Yuuki. You're doing a good job."The brunette's face reddened slightly, and she bowed once more. "Thank-you, Kaname-senpai."

Aiyri ran down the line of girls towards the pureblood. "Kaname!" She called.

His head turned and his smile widened slightly, but his eyes suddenly dimmed, as if in pain. "Aiyri, having fun as a prefect?" He asked, his voice holding a certain tone as if he were talking to a small child.

Aiyri didn't slow as she reached the pureblood, outstretching her arms to wrap around him in an embrace. She was able to bind him in a hug, but it was cut short as he stopped her, extending an arm to push her back by the forehead.

"Kaname-kun?" She asked, staring up at him with hurt eyes.

The pureblood looked away from her, not meeting her bright green eyes. "Aiyri, you must try to behave yourself," He scolded. Dropping his arm, he resumed walking, leaving Aiyri standing in the aisle, feeling, and looking idiotic. The remaining students of the Night Class followed their leader, paying no mind to the redhead standing in the middle of the pathway.

Aidou paused by her side, his stare holding traces of anger, and satisfaction. The blond shook his head slightly, letting out a scoff.

The groups of girls that had fallen silent, were now murmuring softly.

"Did you see that?"

"She just hugged Kaname-senpai!"

"Kaname-senpai pushed her away. Ha!"

"That's embarrassing. Serves her right."

The Night students were soon out of sight, and their fans also dispersed, no longer having an attraction.

Aiyri slowly crossed her arms, irked.

Yuuki approached her cautiously, reaching a hand to her shoulder. "Aiyri? What was that about?" She asked.

Aiyri shook her head, her lips moving, but speaking to softly for Yuuki to pick up what she was saying. She pulled away from her classmate and followed the path the Night Class had taken.


	5. Dorm Dreams

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[5] Dorm Dreams

Patience was not Aiyri's strong suit. Kaname's Night Class seemed to drag on longer than her Day Class had. She should have waited a while longer before trailing after him to his class.

Sitting still bored the girl, and pacing only seemed to dwindle her patience even more. Aiyri decided that staring out the window was her best bet at not dying of boredom. The sky was a deep, navy blue, and was freckled with bright dots of light, glittering stars. The moon was a slim, curved crescent that seemed oddly too bright. The grass was tainted with dark, oblong shapes- shadows cast by the buildings and trees. There was no wind blowing tonight as there was this morning. The night was still.

The stillness was broken by the faint sound of footsteps.

Aiyri turned her attention from the window to the large wooden doors of the classroom. They were open- finally-with students of the Night Class filing out almost silently. None of them gave her any passing glances. Most hardly seemed aware of her presence. As they all walked out though, Aiyri noticed one thing that all the Night Class students had in common; They were all strikingly more attractive than any normal human. The reason being, they were all vampires. _Why did Kaname have to ask the Chairman to put me in the Day Class? Its so much less interesting... _

Of course the vampire that she was waiting for was one of the last to exit the classroom. Behind him were five others. The two females of the group glanced briefly at Aiyri before walking away. Out of the three that were left behind the pureblood, one was tall, with a hand in his pocket, the other combing through his orange hair. The one that stood next to him was Aidou, the vampire who had walked Aiyri to class in the morning. The last one, whom Aiyri remembered as the one who had told everyone to leave the night she had arrived, was also blond, like Aidou, but his hair fell down softly on his head, and his eyes were a light green.

"Aiyri?" Kaname's expression was faintly surprised, and apologetic. "Why are you here?"

The girl raised a curious eyebrow. "What a dumb question." She stated. "Well, besides the obvious -meaning, I don't know where I'm supposed to stay- Yes, besides that..." Her foot began to tap impatiently as she stared into the mahogany eyes of the pureblood. "What was with you earlier?" She resumed her rant, rolling her green irises. "I mean, why did you have to shove me back? You could've been more discreet at getting out of my hug. I think telling me 'stop' would have sufficed back there. Its not like I could've refused the order anyway." She stopped to let Kaname speak, her arms once again crossed against her chest as she stared him down.

A flicker of anguish lit up behind the pureblood's eyes, his brow pulling down with an expression of guilt faulting his perfect features. _That's true, _He thought. _But I wish she would understand that I wouldn't resort to that._ "Aiyri..." The dorm leader's voice was barely above a whisper.

Seeing the discomfort her words had brought him, she immediately regretted bringing it up. Her gaze suddenly softened. "Sorry. That was going a little far."

Kaname's lips pressed into a firm line as he placed a hand on the girl's cheek. "It is true though. I could tell you to jump off a cliff to collide with the rocky bottom and you wouldn't oppose the idea." He pulled her into his chest, leaning his cheek against the top of her head.

The three other vampires stared, in wonderment at the intimacy between their leader, and this girl who was a complete stranger to them.

Aiyri pushed away from the Pureblood's chest so she was able to look up into his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Kaname whispered, brushing his fingertips along the length of her face.

She nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"Kaname-sama?" One of the other vampires spoke up, taking a step forward. It was the blond one, the one Aiyri didn't know.

"What is it, Ichijou?" Kaname turned to the vice-dorm president.

Ichijou threw a smile in Aiyri's direction. "Aiyri-san still doesn't know where she is staying." He pointed out. "I think we should be showing her..."

Appreciative for the turn in the conversation, Aiyri pulled away from the Pureblood. "Yes, where _am _I going to be sleeping, Kaname?"

Kuran Kaname let out a relaxed sigh, struggling to push back the gravity of the previous moments. "Let me show you."

"Well," Aiyri leaned against the door jamb as she looked into her new room. "This certainly is nice." _'Nice'_ was an understatement. The dorm room was much more than she had anticipated.

The ceiling was pearl colored, matching the pastel white carpet that gave the floor a soft appearance. The walls were painted a soft apple green, the edges along the floor, ceiling, and doorway framed with a dark, burnished wood. The back wall faced west and had a stretched window running across it that started about three feet from the ground and ended right before the ceiling. Beneath it ran a counter, the wood a dark cherry, glossy and reflecting the light. Only when Aiyri noticed that the top was cushioned with an off-white velvet did she realize that it served as a sort of bench. Lime green throw pillows accented the bench, and complemented the room. In the corner of the southeast wall was a tall wardrobe, made of the same sleek wood as the bench and wall frames. The bed was pushed up against the north wall, which, from the doorway, was to the right. Its frame was also made of a cherry wood, sleek and polished looking. The sheets were cream, spotted with circles of different sizes that varied in shades of green. There were three moderate-sized, puffy looking rectangles at the head of the bed, arranged in a somewhat pyramid form.

With a glance at the dorm leader, Aiyri ran to the bed and rolled onto the mattress. The puffed up rectangles served as the best pillows she's ever had. They felt how you would expect laying on a cloud would feel like. Soft, fluffy, relaxing. With a sigh of contentment escaping her lips, she sat up and flashed a grin towards Kaname.

"I take it you like the room?" Kaname took Aiyri's spot leaning against the door frame. A pleased smile completed his perfect complexion. "I knew you were partial to the color green..." He let his sentence trail as his smile broadened, enjoying the girl's reaction.

Aiyri nodded her head vehemently, an extensive grin taking up most of her features. "I love it!" She hurdled off the bed as the male vampire walked to her. Lobbing herself onto him, she latched her arms around his neck and hung there. "Thanks."

Kaname wrapped his arms around the girl in response, holding her there for a small moment. Then he moved towards the bed, partially carrying her. When he reached it, he unlatched Aiyri's arms from around his neck and, holding her wrists above her head, suspended her in the air like she weighed absolutely nothing.

"You're welcome." He released his iron grasp on her wrists and let her plop down onto the bed.

Aiyri couldn't help but laugh, never having anyone treat so much like a child as the Pureblood did. The remorse that seemed to be frozen behind his eyes melted at her innocent laughter.

Aiyri crossed her legs, staring up at Kaname with wide, delighted eyes.

He shook his head in a token of movements. "Now that won't do."

The girl blinked a couple times, not understanding.

"You seem to be wide awake," Kaname explained, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "And it is getting late."

Aiyri swiftly stole a glance at the window. It was extremely dark outside. It _was_ late. "So I have to sleep now." She pointedly said, catching what the dorm leader was communicating with her. Her mouth puckered into a pout.

Kaname chuckled, caught off-guard by the girl's expression. He tousled her hair playfully. "There's clothes in the wardrobe. Pajamas and uniforms and some casual clothing too," He nodded his head toward the tall dresser. He paused, then said, "Good night, Aiyri." He strode silently out of the room, the door shutting behind him.

"Night," She whispered, knowing that he could still hear her.

Aiyri clambered off the bed and made her way to the chest of drawers. She pulled the middle one open. Pajama drawer. Grabbing a matching set of white pajamas, she quickly undressed, pulled on the pajama shirt, and pulled the pants over her legs. There was a small hamper beside the dresser. She tossed her used uniform in.

Delighted by the silky smoothness of her new bedtime attire, Aiyri reminded herself to make sure to thank Kaname again, as she walked back to the bed. She crawled under the covers, laying down on her side, her cheek resting against a pillow. Sleep evaded her, keeping her awake to swim in her thoughts.

She rolled over onto her back, her eyes on the ceiling. _Kaname... Your eyes always seem so sad now. What's wrong? _Her brow automatically furrowed as pained, auburn eyes burned themselves into her memory. _Your eyes are filled with so much affliction. What tortures you, Kaname?... What's wrong?_

The words repeated in her head, again, and again. _What's wrong? What's wrong? _Louder, echoing each time. Aiyri rolled over to press her face into a pillow, trying to drown out the sound. _What's wrong? _The two words were now not her own, they belonged to a different voice now...

_"What's wrong Aiyri?" The words were tense, worried. "Aiyri?" A hand reached out to her, resting on her shoulder. It turned her around to face a pureblood. Kaname, a more childish Kaname, his eyes wide, concerned._

_She was crying. Tears trickled down her cheeks, but her brows were furrowed and her lower lip quivered in an attempt to hold in sobs._

_"What's wrong?" Kaname whispered, placing a hand on each of the girl's of her arms was cradled in the other. The vampire removed a hand from her shoulder and gently lifted the injured arm, coated in dust and small pebbles, and a few scratches. He held the arm carefully, gently pressing down at spots to check for fractures in the bone._

_Aiyri winced as he touched her elbow._ _"Ouch." She whispered softly._

_"What happened?" His voice was smooth and tender, trying to calm the girl._

_She shook her head stubbornly._

_"Aiyri." Kaname's eyes voice was soft, but his stare was stern. _

_Giving in to his stare, the little girl pouted. "I f-fell." She sniffled, her cries coming to an end._

_The pureblood smiled understandingly. One hand hovered at the girl's elbow, slowing illuminating a purple glow around the fracture. Then the pain was gone. _

_"There, now. Better?" He asked, helping the girl stand. _

_Her locks of red hair bobbed up and down along with her nod. "Much!"_

_"How did you fall?" Kaname asked, his tone holding a hint of disapproval at her recklessness._

_Aiyri's arms flew up into the air. She was suddenly restored of her energy. "I was chasing a bunny!" She exclaimed, a grin shining on her face._

_The vampire let out a laugh, amused. "I see." He was smiling, his eyes glistening with delight. "Be careful next time, okay?"_

_Aiyri nodded as she reached a filth covered hand to wipe away tears, but Kaname caught her wrist. _

_"You wouldn't want to get dirt in your eyes." He pressed her arms against her sides and trailed a thumb across the girl's cheek, wiping away the tears that remained. "Let's get you cleaned up now."_

_He began walking Aiyri to the house, guiding her with a hand on the small of her they walked, Aiyri looked up at the pureblood, her eyes green pools of curiosity."Kaname?" She started._

_He glanced down at her. "Hm?"_

_"Doesn't this bug you?" She asked innocently. "My blood and all. I mean, don't you want to_ drink _my blood?"_

_Kaname smiled, looking down at her now. "It doesn't bother me much, Aiyri There isn't too much blood, only a few shallow scrapes. And I wouldn't _ever _want to hurt you."_

_The girl nodded, her face in a determined frown._

_"What's that look for?" Kaname asked._

_The determined mask remained set on her face. "I promise, Kaname, I won't cause you trouble anymore."_

_The vampire looked at the little human girl, curiosity lighting behind his eyes. "What do you mean, Aiyri?"_

_"I mean that I won't torture you with the smell of my blood. Alright?" She looked up into Kaname's face. She was grinning again. "That's a promise!"_

_The vampire chuckled as he nodded. "Okay Aiyri. Okay..."_

Her eyes still closed, Aiyri sat up in her bed. She frowned as she remembered her dream. A sigh escaped her and she fell back down onto her pillows, once again keeping her eyes on the ceiling.

"Too bad I couldn't keep the promise," She muttered bitterly. Aiyri turned onto her side and hugged a pillow to her chest, shutting her eyes aiming to fall back asleep. She had accomplished in falling asleep again, but it didn't seem long before she was awakened by an incessant blaring.

The sound was exceedingly loud, rudely jerking Aiyri out of her slumber. Piqued, she flung an arm out towards the direction of the noise in an ineffective effort to hit whatever it was that was that was trying her patience. The sudden movement of her arm disturbed her balance at the edge of the bed and sent her tumbling to the floor.

"Ouch!" She yelled, pushing off the blanket that had fallen with her. She dumped it on the bed and turned to stare at what was making the racket. A deep frown creased her brow and she placed one hand on her hip as she stared at the alarm clock somebody had slammed a hand on it, smashing down the buttons, but it still didn't shut up. Not wanting to search all over the thing for the off button, she yanked it out of the socket and pitched it towards the door, where it shattered and fell to the floor, no longer , Aiyri managed a smirk and muttered, "There!" She turned her head toward the window. It fairly sunny outside, but some dark clouds loomed up in the sky, threatening to burst later.

Aiyri pulled on a new uniform from the wardrobe, and also grabbed a jacket. _Kaname thought of everything, didn't he?_ She ran out of her room smiling, and hurried to the classroom buildings while the dryness held.


	6. Outlooks on Conversion

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

**A/N::** Thank you to everyone who commented/sent me reviews! Special thanks to AkashaCullen26, your enthusiastic reviews really encouraged me to continue this story! :D

[6] Outlooks on Conversion

_Drip. Drop. Splish. Splash._"Its raining." Aiyri stated the obvious as she pulled on the jacket. Good thing she brought it with her this morning. Class had, once again, been very uninteresting. Would it ever change? Once it was finally over, the sky was literally pouring buckets of water. Some students had brought umbrellas, sharing with each other. Of course no one would share with her, though. Yuuki might have, if she were here. Yuuki was lucky enough to be pulled out of class. Her father, Chairman Cross, had sent for her before it began to rain.

Aiyri waited until everyone was out of her sight before pulling the jacket hood around her face and took a step into the pouring rain. Within seconds she was already dripping. The jacket itself wasn't exactly waterproof, so it clung to her skin as she sloshed through the downpour.

She shivered, the rain chilling her bones.

_"Aiyri!"_ Someone called from a distance. The girl whipped around, squinting in the rain to find who had called her. Seeing no one, she shrugged, and continued trudging to the dormitories.

The rain continued, falling even more rigorously if possible.

Aiyri wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to warm up with friction. Her own finger brushed against her neck, touching the long-ago scar from the bite that had changed her. A faint quiver rolled through her body.

_"Aiyri! I'm so sorry!"_ The voice was back again, distinctly male. She stopped walking to look around again only to find nobody there. She could swear that she recognized the voice.

An abrupt wind suddenly picked up. Aiyri shivered again, a more violent tremble than before. She quickened her pace, in a rush to get into the warm- and dry- dorms. In her haste, the toe of her shoe smashed into a rock, causing her to lurch forward. She sprawled onto the wet ground, splashing up water from the puddles.

"Dammit!" She yelled, pushing herself up to her knees. As she tried to stand again, the slippery pathway caused her to lose footing and she fell back down to her knees, braking her fall this time with her palms. She paused for a moment, taking in short breaths.

_"Aiyri, are you alright?! Aiyri! No! I'm Sorry! I didn't... I- Aiyri!" _The voice was back. Loud, urgent. He was sorry? For what? She had fallen on her own accord.

Aiyri pushed herself onto her butt and sat on the ground, already soaked through anyway.

"What the hell do you want?" She demanded.

_"I'm sorry, Aiyri! I'm sorry! I couldn't-" _The voice cracked, like he was crying. Sobbing even.

Aiyri's eyes went wide, then froze. She knew this voice. She knew what he was talking about. She flung her hands to her scalp, shaking her head desperately trying to keep the memory from coming. Red flashed in her mind. It was everywhere. It was all red. But then, in all the red, there was brown. A deep auburn that was filled with so much pain.

Repentance.

Grief.

Regret.

Sorrow.

_"Aiyri, I'm- I don't... Aiyri!"_

_Someone was screaming. So much screaming. _

With a shock, Aiyri realized it was her. She clenched her jaw, keeping her mouth firmly shut. She stood herself up, only to fall back down, startled by another piercing shriek.

_"Kaname!" The voice was her own, higher-pitched, in pain. _

The vision came so suddenly then, snapping Aiyri out of reality and back into the past that was stored away in her mind._"I'm sorry! So sorry... So sorry," The voice repeated, again and again._

_A young girl was leaning against the side of a brick building, thick crimson liquid covering most of her face and arms. There was so much blood. Rain fell from the sky, making the blood watery and spreading it on the pavement._

_Red. Everywhere._

_In front of her was Kaname, his appearance was still childish. Both of them actually, were still children when you looked at them. The girl was old enough now to know not to chase bunnies around, but she didn't look to be older than ten or eleven._

_"Aiyri! I lost it, but just for a second! I couldn't-" Kaname's voice broke. Tears were streaming down his face, mixing with the blood around his mouth. "I-"_

_Aiyri managed a half-smile at the pureblood. "I'm sorry Kaname..." Her voice was hoarse, she struggled to speak through the pain. "I'm sorry."_

_The pureblood frowned, his eyes horror-stricken. "What? No! You didn't do _anything _wrong, Aiyri!"_

_The girl reached a hand to Kaname. Her pressed it against his own cheek, understanding what she wanted. _

_"I broke-" She gasped, a new wave of pain rolling in. "Broke my promise, Kaname. I'm sorry. I broke it."_

_The pureblood shook his head. _

_Moments ago, he had arrived to find Aiyri slumped against an abandoned was a fierce storm then, Aiyri was trekking through it, trying to make her way home. The wind had been howling, thunder pounding. A stray bolt of lightning had struck a tree. There was a_ 'crack' _as the tall tree was hit and fell towards Aiyri. She had tried to jump away. She avoided the tree, but her shoulder was clipped by the edge of a 's upper arm was cut open and oozing blood when Kaname had found her._

_For a moment, just a split second, he lost his control. But that was enough. The vampire was above Aiyri, sinking his pureblood fangs into her throat. She held still, believing that it was her fault anyway. The pureblood had soon regained his self-restraint, leaping off the girl, disgusted with himself. _

_He began crying then, mortified and repulsed with his actions._

_Not for one second was Aiyri angry with the pureblood. She was more frustrated with herself. _She_ had been careless and gotten injured. _She_ was stupid and had to crash into the building. Such a dumb mistake on her part._

_Now regaining some of his composure, Kaname held back some of his cries. "Aiyri, you're losing too much blood. We need to get you help."_

_Aiyri shook her head slowly. "No."_

_"What?"_

_"Kaname, I think..." She reached a hand up to her throat where Kaname had bit her. She ran her fingers along her shoulder, then back up again. "There's no open wound anymore..." She mused aloud_

_Kaname's eyes were wide as he asked, "You're healed?" His voice was bewildered, but also holding a touch of relief. "So quickly?"_

_Aiyri's brow forehead as her eyebrows pulled together. She lifted herself up, holding the brick wall for support. She stumbled forward, off balance from losing so much caught her, holing Aiyri away from himself, afraid that her might attack her again. But she smelled differently now. The blood that painted her arms still had that sweet, enticing smell. But Aiyri herself now had a new scent._

_"Aiyri?" The pureblood's voice was unsure as he released his hold on the girl. "Are you okay?"_

_Aiyri shut her eyes, taking in slow, deep breaths. When she opened her eyes, she blinked away the rain, and smiled._

_Two teeth were longer than the rest. Lengthened teeth. Fangs._

_The pureblood was speechless. He knew that the moment his fangs had pierced the human girl's skin, she would become a vampire. No one, though, has ever altered so quickly, over the course of mere minutes. _

_When Kaname suddenly became still, Aiyri's smile disappeared. "Kaname?" She asked, anxious._

_"Ai-Aiyri," His voice was only a whisper. "You're a vampire."_"Aiyri?!" Someone was calling her name, but the voice was too far off.

There were footsteps, though. She could hear them clearly.

"Aiyri!" It called for her again.

She opened her mouth to call back, but only a groan came out. There was a violent thumping sound, like someone was hammering on bass drums. The noise reverberated in her ears, vibrated in her skull.

"Aiyri?" The voice was noticeably closer now, but it wasn't yelling anymore. "What happened to you?"

Someone pulled her up by her underarms, holding her against their chest.

"Ughh...Hm?" Her eyes remained shut in a desperate attempt to ignore the pounding.

There was a soft laugh, gentle, soothing. "Aiyri, wake up."

"Stop spinning me." She ordered as her head dropped forward against whoever was holding her.

"I'm hardly moving, Aiyri. You must have hit your head." Whoever was there was a _he_, but the voice was still unrecognizable through the thrums beating obnoxiously in her ears.

"Open your eyes." He had pulled her up to her feet now, holding her against his body.

Aiyri groaned again, but obeyed, lifting up one eyelid at a time. She rolled her head back to stare up at who was holding her. "Kaname!" She yelled. Her arms threw themselves around him and she pressed her face into his chest. "OmIhddeeworffaf-" She began speaking rapidly, her words muffled against the Pureblood's torso.

"Aiyri." Kaname pushed the girl gently away from him so he could see her face. "I don't know what you just said, but are you alright?"

The girl's mouth pulled down at the corners. "No."

"What's the matter then?"

"My head is throbbing."

Kaname chuckled his smooth, velvety laugh. "Let's get you some ice, then?"

◊ ◊◊ ◊Kaname shut his dorm room door silently behind him. After getting Aiyri a pack of ice for her throbbing head, she claimed that she needed a shower after being in the rain for so long. He was alone now, sitting on the long sofa in the center on his room. His eyes were shut as he tried to sooth himself.

The guilt had always been there inside him, nibbling away at his insides, slowly creating a hole. But now that Aiyri was actually here, in person, every time he saw her, the guilt took a bigger bite out of him. What a gruesome thing it was.

Her screams repeated in his mind, leaving haunting echoes that always lingered. Kaname's mind took him back to _that_ day. The only day that he ever regretted being with Aiyri._"Kaname!" Aiyri's voice was so pained. What had he done?_In the room, the pureblood dropped his head into his hands, propped up on his knees. What a mess he was._Kaname had left the house to find Aiyri. It was raining hard and he doubted that she could see her way home through the awful weather._

_The rain__had masked the scent._

_When Kaname caught sight of the girl, she was drooped against an old brick building. He had rushed to her side, to see what was wrong, concern for the girl causing him to drop his guard._

_Then the scent came. It was terribly strong. The smell of blood was mouthwatering. It was unbearably alluring, simply beckoning the vampire to come have a taste._

_If Kaname had been a vampire longer, had more time to become adjusted to the smell of blood, had more practice controlling the natural impulse, maybe he could've had a better chance at resisting his genetic thirst for blood. But there was no maybe. He was still young. And tremendously tempted by her blood._

_The control only slipped for a few seconds, but those were seconds too many._

_Kaname had launched himself onto Aiyri._

_She was unmoving as Kaname's mouth hovered back and forth from her neck to the gash on her shoulder. Then without another second's hesitation, he plunged his fangs into her throat._

_The taste was even more amazing than the scent. The think liquid flowed into his mouth and slid down his throat. It was warm, and his body demanded, 'More! More!' But then mind won over matter. His conscience kicked in, bellowing, 'No! Not Aiyri! No!'_

_He leaped off her, entirely repulsed with his own being. _

'What have you done, Kaname!' _He internally kicked himself. Hard.__"I'm sorry!" Those two words he repeated, again and again. But they had no value at that moment, they meant nothing, they couldn't change anything._

_The pureblood had started crying as soon as he had forced himself off of Aiyri. What a weak vampire, sobbing because of a reckless mistake._

_Aiyri was screaming, he had put her in so much pain. She had been a close friend. A caring friend. And what did he do in return for her kindness?_

_He had bitten her._

_"Aiyri! I lost it, but just for a second!" As if that was an excuse for his actions._

_Then, of all things, _Aiyri_ began apologizing to _him.

_Kaname couldn't take this._

_She was sorry for breaking her promise. Of all the things she could be feeling, she was apologetic. She had nothing to be sorry for. He was the one at fault, and even if Aiyri forgave him, Kaname would not forgive himself._

'I don't deserve your kindness Aiyri' _was Kaname's thought as he shook his head as he pressed her hand against his face. _

_She didn't seem mad with him. She was forgiving. He didn't deserve her forgiveness. She should be angry. Furious. But she wasn't._There was a soft tap that jolted Kuran Kaname out of his memories. He lifted his gaze to the door, composed himself to sit upright on the sofa, then called, "Come in."

The door swung open fully with a thud. Aiyri was in the doorway, her leg half eyebrow lifted on the pureblood's forehead. Had she kicked the door? "Hey, hey, Kaname!" Aiyri was grinning, the smile touching her eyes. Her hair was dripping, leaving small darkened dots on her shirt. She had a towel draped around her neck.

Kaname scrutinized her. She had on a deep blue spaghetti strap top, and white short-shorts. She was also barefoot. She looked very at ease. The Pureblood lifted himself onto his feet and made his way to Aiyri. He grabbed the towel from around her neck and rubbed the top of Aiyri's head with it, flinging water droplets into the air.

"Aiyri, you should dry your hair properly," Kaname scolded.

Aiyri raised her eyes to his face. "So I don't wet the carpet?" She asked.

"Well, that, and so you don't catch a cold." Kaname dropped the towel back onto Aiyri's shoulders.

She scoffed. "Tch. I was already out in the rain for who knows how long. If I didn't catch a cold from that, then I doubt that being a little damp from the shower is going to affect me much." Her tone was matter-of-fact.

"Alright," The dorm leader agreed. "Well, since you're finished with your shower, I'd like to show you something." He smiled, or at least attempted a half smile, and led Aiyri forward, and down the halls of the Night Dorms.


	7. Suspicions

**A/N::** This chapter's a bit longer than the others, but hopefully its still enjoyable.

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[7] Suspicions

Aiyri settled herself in one of the sofas in the front room of the Night Dorms. She tilted her head to one side, puzzled. "Kaname, you wanted to show me a cup...?"

The pureblood was standing in front of where Aiyri sat, holding a wine glass between his thumb and forefinger. He laughed a quiet chuckle at her question. "No, Aiyri." His tone was amused as he pulled out a small metal container. "This, is what I needed to show you." He flipped open the top with his thumb.

Inside were white, round tablets. Kaname pulled one out and dropped it into the water in the cup. As the pill hit the bottom of the glass, it spilt open and almost immediately it dyed the water a light red.

"What is it?" Aiyri asked as she took the cup that Kaname was handing to her. She sniffed at it conspicuously. It had a rusty, metallic scent to it.

"Its what we live off of here at the academy," The pureblood shook the metal case in his hand. "Blood tablets. Try it."

"Blood...tablets? Is it actual blood in the form of tablets?" Aiyri seemed to be amazed at this concept.

Kaname laughed again, a little louder than last time. "No, not like that. Its just something that satisfies our thirst...to some extent."

Aiyri arched up an eyebrow at him. "Okay..." She pressed the glass to her lips and sipped the foreign liquid. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she pulled the cup away from her mouth.

The pureblood seemed to be holding in a smirk. "I know it doesn't taste the best, but please, finish the rest of it."

Aiyri shot Kaname a skeptical glare. "And you guys live off of this stuff? Yuck!" She rolled her eyes overemotionally.

Kaname seated himself beside the girl and pushed the cup to her mouth. "I know you are in control of yourself, but I also know that you aren't accustomed to being in the presence of many humans for long periods of time. If you're going to be attending here at the academy, then you are going to be around more humans than what you're used to." His eyes were ablaze, begging with her. "Please, Aiyri. I don't want to take any chances, okay?"

Giving in to his pleading eyes, she heaved out an exaggerated sigh and guzzled down the rest of the drink. After finishing the imitation blood, she frowned at Kaname. "There. Are you happy now?"

"Very. Thank you, Aiyri." Kaname took the glass from her, and returned her frown with a smile.

She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, still set in a frown. "That's some disgusting stuff. How often do I have to drink it?"

"A couple times a week. And don't argue with me." He added, pushing a finger to her lips as she had opened her mouth to complain.

Aiyri pouted and crossed her arms childishly. "Fine."

Kaname playfully ruffled her hair and then stood, his eyes traveling to the top of the stairs.

"Konbanwa, Kaname-sama." Ichijou was making his way slowly down the steps. "I apologize if I'm interrupting, but its almost time for Night Classes to begin." As he reached the pureblood, Ichijou looked toward Aiyri, smiling warmly. "Good evening, Aiyri-san."

Aiyri returned the smile and stood from the couch. Bowing in a small gesture she greeted him. "Ah, Konbanwa, Ichijou-senpai."

Ichijou's eyes glistened with his smile. "You know my name?" He never remembered introducing himself to her.

"Oh, the other night, Kaname-kun said it. I remembered." She tapped the side of her head with her index finger.

"I see," Ichijou nodded, then turned to Kaname. "Kaname-sama, we should be getting to class soon."

The pureblood nodded then glanced to Aiyri. "Oh, Aiyri, aren't you a prefect?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh no! I completely forgot! Poor Yuuki, she's all alone out there!" Aiyri pushed past the two male vampires and headed for the door. Kaname had said something as the door swung shut, but Aiyri didn't catch it. Aiyri raced to the front of the gates where Yuuki was trying to calm the horde of girls. She skidded to a stop in front of a male student. He had a hand raised in front of him and Aiyri had almost collided with it.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" She demanded.

The boy stared her down, his expression puzzled. "Who are you?"

Aiyri crossed her arms across her chest. "I asked you a question first!"

Yuuki appeared then, her hand resting on the boy's shoulder. "Zero." He didn't turn his gaze away from Aiyri, and he looked at her like he had seen her before but couldn't quite remember when and where. "Zero, this is Aiyri. Chairman Cross told you about her, remember? She's the new prefect. Aiyri," Yuuki smiled at the redhead. "This is Zero Kiriyu. He's my partner."

"Oh." Aiyri's lips pulled up into a smile. "Hi then."

Zero appraised the girl, his pale eyes scanning her attire. "I didn't know that being a prefect meant that we could dress so casually on the job."

Aiyri blinked twice. "What?"

The male prefect reached an arm toward the redhead, pulling a towel from her shoulders. "Would you like to explain?" He dangled the towel in front of her face.

She grinned sheepishly as Zero dropped the towel on her head. "Ha-hah. Oops. I forgot what I was wearing."

He didn't seem amused. "Yeah. Don't dress like this again." With that, he turned his back on her and walked away.

Aiyri stared after him for a moment, then turned to Yuuki. "Is he always that friendly?" Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

"I guess he takes some getting used to..." She answered as she turned toward the gates. "Looks like the gates are opening."

Aiyri stood to the side, pulling along some girls with her. "Back up guys. C'mon."

Yuuki went and stood by Zero.

As the Night Class emerged from the dark iron gates, the female students began calling to them in admiration, once again. Aiyri sighed heavily. This whole school would take some getting used to.

Aiyri stumbled out of the school building, struggling to keep her eyes open. The week continued normally. Aiyri went to her day class, ignored the teacher's droning, then when the final bell rang, she did her prefect duty. While the Night Class was in session, she patrolled the grounds with her partners, Yuuki, and now Zero. The filled schedule of her day left little time for sleep, especially since she spent the time she was supposed to be sleeping, up talking to Kaname.

Aiyri kept her gaze on the ground as she walked, too tired to keep her head up. As she was about to reach the gates of the Night Dorms, someone grabbed her by her upper arms at the same moment another pair of shoes entered her vision.

"Aiyri, what's the matter with you?" The voice was amused. She could hear the smile in his voice.

She let out a whiny groan in response, not looking up.

"Aiyri-chan, won't you tell me what's wrong?" The other student put an index finger beneath her chin, tilting her head up to look at him.

Now looking at the boy, Aiyri frowned. "What do you want, Aidou?" She pulled her face away from him, but couldn't pull back for he was still holding her arms.

"You look awful!" He exclaimed as his eyes roamed her face.

Aiyri rolled her eyes at him. "Thank you, Aidou. That's just what every girl loves to hear. Now let me go."

Aidou shook his head, smirking. "If I let you go, you just might fall to the ground!"

"I'm fully capable of walking, Aidou. I may be sleep deprived, but I'm not handicapped." She wiggled out of his hold and he released her. As soon as he did though, Aiyri's legs gave out and she began to fall over, only to be caught by Aidou. He pulled her upright to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to him so he could support her weight.

Aiyri groaned in protest, but otherwise made no attempt to pull away.

Aidou began half-dragging her toward the Night Dorms.

"Aiyri-chan, why don't you let Yuuki and Zero do their jobs without you tonight. I'm sure they can manage without you for a while." Aidou gave a sideways glance to the redhead who was frowning at the close proximity between the two of them.

"It's a tempting idea..." Aiyri was shaking her head.

"C'mon," Aidou urged. "You won't be much help anyway if you're half asleep. You'll only get stepped on."

They had reached the dorms then. Aidou kicked open the door.

Kaname was there in the front room, sitting unsmilingly on one of the sofas speaking to one of the other vampires that Aiyri didn't know. They both turned their heads in the direction of the door when it opened. The Pureblood jumped up immediately, his firm expression quickly shifting to concern as he took swift strides to Aidou.

"What happened?" He demanded, his alarmed eyes running over Aiyri.

Aiyri shook her head slowly. "I'm fine, Kaname. Just a little tired."

The pureblood sighed and pulled the girl away from Aidou. In one swift and fluid movement, he had her cradled in his arms and was making his way up the staircase. When he reached the top, he paused and glanced in the general direction of the front room.

"Shiki," The vampire he was speaking to before Aiyri had arrived looked up. "We will finish our discussion another time."

The one named Shiki bowed his head in a nod, his pale blue eyes observing Aiyri, then turned and walked away. Kaname continued down the halls and brought Aiyri to her bedroom, setting her gently on the bed.

Her eyes were half closed as she stared at the Pureblood. "Kaname, what was that all abo…" Her sentence was cut off by a yawn that escaped her.

"Shh," Kaname breathed. He sat himself sinuously beside Aiyri, pulling her into his lap. "You need rest, Aiyri. You appear to be in danger of collapsing from exhaustion any minute now."

Aiyri frowned, wanting to press the subject further. What was going on? Maybe it's nothing. Most likely it is. Even if it is something, it's none of my business. Right? Kaname held her head to his chest with an arm, stroking her hair soothingly. Aiyri dropped her thoughts and sighed in contentment, letting her eyes shut. "Night, Kaname," she whispered.

Kaname chuckled quietly, but then a frown pulled down the corners of his lips as he traced the faint purple shadows beneath Aiyri's eyes with his thumb. Her eyelids quivered with the touch, but her head was slack against the pureblood's chest as she slept.

It was morning when Aiyri woke. She blinked a couple times, letting her eyes adjust to the brightness.

"Good-morning, Aiyri."

The redhead looked up to realize her face was inches away from Kaname's, and that she was still cradled in his arms.

"Hey," She greeted in return, grinning at the Pureblood. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a brief hug, then crawled off his lap to sit in front of him.

He stared at her for a few moments, his brow furrowed in slight frustration.

Aiyri leaned forward and pressed a finger to Kaname's forehead to smoothen out the crease. "What's the matter?"

The pureblood caught her wrist as she was pulling it away and pressed it to his cheek as he spoke. "Aiyri, would you hate it very much to be in the Night Class?"

"No," She deliberately blinked her eyes in her confusion. "Why do you ask?"

Kaname hesitated. "Well... There's..." He paused, thinking over his words. "Well, you're a vampire, and though I know that you are in control of your thirst, I'd feel reassured if you were in the Night Class anyway. Also, you'd probably get more sleep in if you didn't have to be a prefect. It makes sense."

Aiyri scrutinized his expression. He had changes his sentence. Was there really something going on? After a second's delay, she nodded.

"Alright...but why did you think I would hate it?"

Kaname's lips turned down into a small frown. "Because of your lineage."

"Oh." Aiyri bobbed her head in one brisk nod. "You think I wouldn't want to be in your Night Class because you believe that if the others in said class found out who my mother was then .problems might arise and unnecessary attention would be drawn to me...Correct?"

Kaname nodded.

"There's nothing to worry about Kaname. No one will find out that my mother was Rakita Kurushii. The only ones who know are you and Chairman Cross, right?" Aiyri smiled encouragingly at the pureblood. "As long as we keep it a secret, it will be fine." She pursed her lips then, her eyebrows suddenly pulling together.

"What is it, Aiyri?"

"When I was enrolled into this academy, what did you enter as my last name? I mean, I had to have a last name in my Day Class, right? What did you put?"

Kaname pulled her hand from his cheek and pressed his lips delicately into her palm. "I gave you my last name. After all, we are practically family, right?"

Aiyri laughed, an innocent, chiming sound. "Aiyri Kuran?" She giggled. "That has a nice sound to it Kaname, but what did you tell everyone?"

Kaname smiled and released her hand. "To the Day Class, you are Aiyri Kuran sister of Kaname Kuran."

"Wait, to the Day Class? What about-"

"The Night Class?" Kaname finished. "They don't know anything about you besides the fact the you are a vampire in the Day Class and that you're name is Aiyri. Some don't even know that much."

"But-"

The Pureblood shook his head. "Its fine, Aiyri. In two days' time you will be introduced to the Night Class as Kuran, Aiyri, adopted sister of Kuran, Kaname."

"Two days?" Aiyri asked.

"Today is Saturday morning. No school."

"Oh." Aiyri paused for a moment. "Then what are we going to do today?"

Kaname stood up, straightening the crumples in his sleeves. "I have to go, actually. There are some issues that need to be taken care of."

Aiyri looked up at him, widening her eyes in a crestfallen manner to hide the curiosity burning behind them. She knew something was wrong. Kaname could try to make it look like a simple matter of business, but Aiyri knew. She could tell by the controlled tension in the set of his shoulders. There was barely masked apprehension in his eyes. She wouldn't press it though. He'd tell her when- or if- he wanted to.

"Hey, don't give me that look, Aiyri." he tousled her red hair. "This is your chance to get to know the school. Since you're going to move into the Night Class, you're going to drop your prefect duty. Go enjoy your free time." Kaname turned and walked out the door.

"What's going, Kaname? What aren't you telling me..." Aiyri murmured to herself. "Huh." She shrugged away the subject with one last doubting thought towards the pureblood, then clambered off the bed to get dressed.

Aiyri stepped out of the dorms into the morning light. Cool air rushed to greet her.

"Nice day today, eh, Aiyri-chan?" said a voice from beside her.

She was beginning to recognize this voice.

"Hey, Aidou." She turned to face him.

He seemed offended as he stepped towards her. "Aw, what ever happened to 'Aidou-kun'? I really did like the sound of that..."

Aiyri rolled her eyes and began walking away. The blond stepped into stride with her."Where are you going, Aiyri-chan?" He asked.

"No place in particular. Just going for a walk...Aidou-_kun_," She tacked on his preferred title just to humor him. "Satisfied?" She asked.

He was smirking, his blue eyes twinkling with delight. "You're so much fun, Aiyri. Come, let's go into town." Before she could object, Aidou had her by the wrist and sped up their pace, tugging Aiyri along. The two received a few stares, of course, as they made their way off the campus. Once in the town though, nobody turned to look in their direction.

"Ah, here we are!" Aidou exclaimed, releasing Aiyri's wrist and spreading out his arms to his sides.

Aiyri scanned the area fleetingly. There were shops lining the paved road, and some houses further back. The place was full of people, but not so much that you would get the feeling of suffocation.

"What are we doing here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aidou lowered his arms and cast a sideways glance at her. "I thought you might want to see the town."

"Alright," Aiyri nodded. "Fine. Let's see the town."

Aidou smiled and led Aiyri forward.

They passed by the shops and made their way farther into the town. Soon, there were hardly any people around. The buildings became less occupied, and some seemed dilapidated and run down.

"Aidou-kun, what are we doing here?" Aiyri asked, her green eyes vigilant and darting around.

Aidou seemed at ease, strolling casually down the stone pathway, his arms swinging slightly at his sides. He reached an arm over to Aiyri and placed it around her shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "There's an old church here I wanted to show you." He stopped in front of a large faded building. The colors were dulling into gray, giving the structure a lifeless, grim appearance.

Aiyri cocked her head to the side her brow creasing as she analyzed the church in front of them. She fought the urge to shudder. Something wasn't right here. It could be just paranoia creeping up on her, but there was something inharmonious about the place.

"C'mon Aiyri-chan," Aidou urged, a smirk playing on his lips. "Don't you want to see the inside?"

Aiyri hesitated, glancing at the blond from the corner of her eye, but took a step forward to open the wooden door.

**A/N:: **Well? What'd you think? Review, anyone?


	8. An Informing Encounter

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[8] An Informing Encounter

"Ouch!" Aiyri pulled her hand back and held it against her chest. A fragment of wood had decided to lodge itself into her palm. Aidou was staring intently at Aiyri, the curiosity in his eyes making no effort to hide. "Splinter," Aiyri informed him. She showed him her hand, palm up, so he could see the woodchip in her skin.

Aidou grabbed her wrist with one hand, and with the other pulled out the splinter with his thumb and forefinger then dropped it to the ground. Blood began to ooze out slowly from the wound it left behind.

"Aidou? What is it?"

The blond looked up from her hand as he met her gaze, his ice blue eyes smoldering.

"Aiyri-chan, have you tasted our diet of blood tablets?" He asked her.

"Yes, why?"

"It isn't very appetizing, is it? Doesn't compare at all to the taste of _real_ blood."

Aiyri instinctively tugged her hand away from Aidou, but his grip only tightened. The male vampire closed his eyes, bringing Aiyri's hand to his face as he inhaled the scent of her blood.

"Mmm..." He sighed.

"Aidou, No!" She commanded

He ignored her protest. "Just a taste, Aiyri-chan?" He pleaded, opening his eyes. "Please?"

"Aidou...Don't," She complained, less forcefully.

Ignoring her objections, Aidou brought her hand to his mouth. Two elongated teeth appeared from under his upper lip. He looked up at Aiyri to give her an impish grin."Just a taste," He promised. "I won't bite." He ran his tongue across the small wound, then down to the side of Aiyri's wrist, lapping up the trickles of blood. Something cold touched his nose as he moved down her wrist, and he pulled away, startled.

"What's this?" He asked, lifting up Aiyri's arm. "An interesting bracelet..." He answered himself.

Aiyri sighed. "Are you done, Aidou-_kun,_" She sneered at the personal label that he favored.

Aidou dropped her hand and gave her a contented grin. "See, Aiyri-chan? I said I wouldn't bite." He turned to the church, pushing open one of the double doors himself. "Now let's go inside."

The inside was worse than the out. The walls were run down, some places missing a brick or two. There were decrepit wooden staircases on either side of the wide room, leading up to a balcony that looked down on the dusted over pews that lined the floor in rows. At the farthest end of the room, the ground was raised a few inches, creating a small platform where an altar was supposed to be.

"Aidou, wha-" Aiyri was cut off mid-sentence by a macabre screech coming from atop the balcony.

Aiyri's head jerked up, her eyes wide with shock and bewilderment. "What the hell?"

Aidou glanced up at the woman perched on the railings, eyeing her with little interest. The woman on the balcony was crouched on the bar, her feral eyes thirsty as they jumped from Aidou to Aiyri. With a shriek, she kicked off the railing, leaping towards Aiyri, fingers bent into claws as they aimed for Aiyri's neck. Reacting by her instinct, Aiyri sidestepped a fraction of a second before the woman landed in her spot.

"How ironic. A vampire in a church! Hah!" Aiyri stole a swift glance at Aidou, who was watching the two of them with interest. Aiyri's eyes were drawn back to the Level E vampire when it took a swing. Aiyri dodged the blow with a hair's width of space between her neck and the Level E's claws.

"Gah!" She ducked another strike by the creature and kicked at its legs, knocking it to the ground. The woman fell with a dull thud, shrieking and screaming while she swung her arms frantically at Aiyri, who was dodging her attempts at hits quite easily.

"Enough of this," She muttered under her breath. Aiyri pulled up the Level E and locked it's neck in the crease of her elbow, tightening her hold as the woman struggled. Aiyri put her lips to the creature's neck, sinking in her fangs deep into it's flesh. With a jerky movement of her arm, Aiyri snapped the creature's neck, and it's head rolled off the shoulders and fell to her feet, rolling a few inches away.

"Sorry," She whispered as she dropped the limp form onto the floor. Aiyri dragged the back of her hand across her mouth, wiping away any of the creature's blood.

"That was...beyond words, Aiyri. You reacted so quickly." For the first time since the Level E showed up, Aiyri remembered that she had a companion with her. She looked away from the dead vampire to Aidou.

"Yeah, thanks for all your help," She grimaced at the taste of blood that lingered in her mouth.

Aidou's mouth pulled up in a smirk. "Very impressive..." His eyes held a glint of mischief. "I guess it's what to be expected." He shrugged imperturbably.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aiyri narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well, it means I was wrong to expect anything less from the daughter of a famous vampire hunter." The blond smirked and raised his eyebrows, daring her to deny the statement.

Aiyri's brow creased as she scowled at Aidou. "How-"

"Its a school that you go to Aiyri. Sure, its far from normal, but its a school no less. Rumors fly." Aidou shrugged again, still very blasé. "And you've just proved true the rumor that the alleged Aiyri Kuran, is actually Aiyri Kurushii, daughter of Rakita Kurushii. Famed Hunter of vampires? Ring a bell?" He scoffed. "Like mother, like daughter, eh, Aiyri-chan?"

A growl passed through her airways. Aiyri closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself, taking in two deep breaths.

"Fine," She opened her eyes.

"'Fine'?" Aidou lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes, 'fine'. You have discovered the truth about Aiyri Kurushii. Hoo-rah." She punched a fist in the air with mock enthusiasm.

Aidou was smirking, his blue spheres of eyes highlighted with taunting joy. "It_ is_ 'fine', Aiyri. I won't tell," he assured her.

Aiyri narrowed her eyes to slits. "What?" She spat out.

"I don't delight in exposing secrets. What would I gain if I did?" With his thumbs and index fingers, he spread Aiyri's eyelids smoothly apart so she was no longer glaring at him. He laughed musically at her expression. She was still attempting to glower while her eyes were held open. Aiyri exhaled a sigh and leaned away from the blond. He dropped his hands from her face as she did so.

"We at least need to burn the body," Aiyri nodded her head to the form on the church floor.

Aidou nodded in agreement.

Without warning, there was a_ 'crack'_ that reverberated in the church walls, followed by an abrupt rush of warmth from behind Aiyri. She turned, and the body- and disconnected head- was in flames. Before she had any time to be confused, Aidou was speaking. Not to her, but to someone making their way down the stairs.

"Akatsuki, Shiki!" Aidou was smiling at the two.

"Oi, Aidou," The tall one, who had orange hair and a displeased expression, called. "What are you doing here?"

Aidou looked toward the burning corpse on the floor. The fire was diminishing, leaving only ashes. "Helping you out, Akatsuki-kun. This one almost got out of the church. Aiyri-chan took care of it." He grinned approvingly at the red head.

"How uncool." The other vampire with pale blue eyes- Shiki probably- was staring apathetically at the ashes remaining. "I was looking for that one."

"Aidou, you aren't supposed to be here." Akatsuki said, standing in front of the blond. "Dorm Leader Kaname, won't be pleased."

Aidou's eyes flashed at Kaname's name. "Ah, but you won't tell, will you?"

Aiyri stepped towards Aidou and punched him in the arm. A playful gesture, but none to gentle.

"Itai! That hurt Aiyri-chan!" Aidou pouted, a downcast expression on his face.

"Its what you deserve for dragging me here just to prove your stupid rumor right!" She smiled roguishly. "_They_ might not tell Kaname-kun about this," Aiyri eyed the two other vampires who had descended down the stairs. "But I sure as heck will."

Aidou's brow pulled up in the middle and slanted down toward the sides in an anxious appearance. "Don't be so cruel, Aiyri."

Aiyri lips pulled up to one side, smirking now.

"Aw, Aiyri!" He whined. "Please?"

Akatsuki stepped into the conversation. "What difference does it make, Hanabusa? You're always overstepping your boundaries anyway. Its nothing new if Kaname punishes you for this." He turned to Shiki and gestured toward the door. "We should be heading back to report to Kaname-sama."

Shiki nodded, his eyes glancing briefly in Aiyri's direction then away again. "Sure."

Aidou threw a piteous look at Aiyri.

She rolled her eyes and huffed out a sigh.

"Wait," She called as Akatsuki and Shiki were about to walk out. "Akatsuki-san, Shiki-san, would you mind not mentioning us to Kaname-sama?" She stared intently at the male vampires- excluding Aidou. "I'm a lot closer to Kaname-kun than you've been told…" She grinned to herself. "…the lie to the Day Class about me being his adopted sister can hardly be called a lie. It's practically true, in a sense. So, _really_, please don't mention this to him. He'll take it better if it came from me, neh? It'll be my ass too and not just Aidou's if Kaname knew I tangled with a Level E."

Akatsuki's gaze focused on Aiyri. "You're telling us to not tell Dorm Leader Kuran that you two were here?"

"I'm _asking_ you," Aiyri corrected.

"That's fine. We won't bring you two up." Shiki cast a longing glance to the door. "We really should be heading back now. Bye, Aidou. Bye, Aiyri Kuran-san." He stepped through the door and out of the church, followed by Akatsuki.

Once they were gone, Aiyri sniggered.

"I was only messing with you, Aidou. I'm not dumb. If Kaname knew about this, I'd most likely be put under surveillance. I might not be even allowed to leave the dorms aside from classes." She scoffed. "Annoying, overprotective vampire of a brother. Hah!" After a moment's thought, she added, "I can't blame him for caring, though."

The light breaching through the cracks in the doors had a yellowish tinge, the clear white light of the morning gone. "We should get going too, "Aiyri stepped toward the door. "Are you coming, Aidou?"

Aidou stood immobile, staring blankly at Aiyri.

"Aidou?" She strode back to his side and tugged at his sleeve.

"You are his sister, then?" Aidou's voice was scarcely audible.

Aiyri nodded. "In a way. Obviously, we're not biologically related, but the sibling love is there. He's always been a brother to me for as long as I can remember." She smiled automatically. "Let's get going. Aidou-kun, c'mon!"

He still remained fixed on the one spot.

"What's your problem?" Aiyri demanded.

She pulled at his sleeve with a little more effort this time.

"My problem is that if he does find out, then I'm dead. I just brought Dorm Leader Kuran's little sister to face a Level E, just so I could see if a rumor was true." He brought a hand to his face. "Ugh. I'm a dead man walking."

Aiyri sighed. "Yes well, you're forgiven. I'm not going to tell Kaname anyway, so don't worry about it! You'll get wrinkles." She grabbed his arm and pulled. He staggered forward a step. "Now come on!"

Kaname wasn't alone in his dorm room when Aiyri walked in. Shiki, one of the vampires from earlier, was there. They were speaking in muted voices, very quickly, too. Both boys looked up at her presence.

"Kaname-kun?" Aiyri closed the door behind her. "Bad time?" She asked.

Kaname's mouth pulled up in a small smile, but his eyes darkened discreetly. "No, we're finished here." He turned to Shiki. "Good job today. You are dismissed."

Shiki nodded, glancing sideways at Aiyri as he turned to the door. "Konbanwa, Aiyri-sama. Nice seeing you again today."

Aiyri's head whipped into his direction as he passed her, a baffled stare on her face, but the door was already swinging shut behind him.

"Hello, Aiyri," Kaname greeted her. He stepped towards her and embraced her. "What did you do today?" His words had a strange edge to them, as if he were asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Aiyri sauntered towards the bed and set herself on the edge lithely. She eyed him warily, scrutinizing his face. His expression was composed, a small smile in place on his lips. Aiyri was cautious as she spoke. "Aidou-kun took me into the town today."

Kaname nodded and stood at the bedside. "Hm. I'm happy that you're making friends."

"I saw some shops," She continued.

The pureblood did not seem interested by the false story. "Have you gotten to know anyone else besides Aidou?" He asked.

Aiyri was careful about who she spoke about, although Kaname obviously knew something.

"Well, Yuuki, of course. During my brief time as a prefect, I did get to know her pretty well. She's a great person. Really nice."

"Mm-hmm. Who else?" He urged.

"Well, Kiriyu, Zero. He's not the most social person I've known. Oh! Ichijou-senpai also. I've met him..." Aiyri tapped a finger to her chin, giving an appearance of pondering. "There are also a few other vampires I've seen around, but don't really know. Like the one who was in here earlier- I saw you speaking to him that one time Aidou brought me to the dorms when I was a _bit_ sleep deprived."

"Ah. That was Senri, Shiki." Kaname nodded. His eyes drifted to the side, gazing blankly at the wall behind Aiyri's head.

When Kaname didn't continue speaking, Aiyri nudged his knee with her foot. His eyes widened minutely and his attention was brought back to Aiyri. "Ah, gomenasai, Aiyri-chan. I was thinking for a moment," the Pureblood apologized. "So you were in town today?" He continued.

Aiyri moved her head in a nod.

"What a coincidence," He mumbled softly. "Shiki was there on an errand for me. Did you happen to run into him?" Kaname eyed her pointedly.

Aiyri's gaze darkened as she stared back at the pureblood.

The stare down lasted a whole of two minutes when Aiyri finally blinked.

"Gah! No!" She threw her arms up above her head in frustration.

Kaname leaned back to sit himself on the bed. "You know the deal, Aiyri. You blinked." He was smiling playfully.

Aiyri pouted at him. "I know, I know," She muttered. "I never win at that, do I?"

A short memory flashed into her mind.

_Eight-year-old Aiyri sat on a flat topped rock, her eyes fixed into a wide stare. The subject of her gaze was a pureblood, and her closest companion, Kaname was looking back at her just as intently, without looking as ridiculous. His expression held composed amusement._

_A faint breeze passed between the two of them and Aiyri blinked twice._

_"No fair!" She complained as she leaped onto her feet in front of the noble blood._

_Kaname leaned away from her, chuckling sweetly. "You lost, Aiyri." He stated eyes rolled out of habit as groaned in defeated consent._

_This little game was constructed when Aiyri was around the age of five. When ever she wanted something from Kaname- or sometimes vise versa- they would stare each other down, until the other broke down. Aiyri would glare at the pureblood, fiercely at war with the urge to blink. Kaname would stare back coolly at her, seeming to have no trouble with the process. Aiyri would always end up losing, her physical need to blink winning over her mental will not to._

_The loser- being Aiyri most of the time- had to give the winner- Kaname- what he or, on rare occasions, she wanted._

_This time, Kaname wanted Aiyri to attend a party with him. Normally, Aiyri would love to go anywhere Kaname was, but this time was different. This time, there would be dancing. And dresses._

_Kaname was smiling brilliantly at her, his eyes sparkling with elation. "It will be wonderful, Aiyri. You'll look so endearing in your little dress!"_

Aiyri groaned in annoyance at the recollection.

The pureblood's eyebrows pulled up in curiosity at the small noise.

"Just remembering the time I lost and ended up having to go to a ballroom party with you," She explained.

Kaname's lips played between a smile and a smirk as he remembered that time for himself. "Ah, yes. I thought that party was plenty enjoyable. Now, don't change the subject, Aiyri. What were you doing in that church?"

Aiyri's mouth pulled down at the edges and her brow creased in frustration as she hesitated. She had said to Aidou that she wouldn't tell Kaname, and she wasn't lying to him. Would she betray her word?

"Aiyri, you know the deal. Tell me what you were doing at the church."

A sudden vibe began emanating from the Pureblood then, encasing Aiyri in its power. The atmosphere held a sudden authority that seemed to bind her. It compelled her to gritted her teeth and balled her hands into tight fists at her sides as she fought the strong influence coming over her.

Realizing what he had done, Kaname backpedaled, softening his gaze and adding, "Please, Aiyri. I'm _asking_ you."

The sudden vibe that had engulfed her vanished as immediately as it had come and Aiyri inhaled deeply.

"I'm sorry about that Aiyri," Kaname cupped her face in his hands, looking deeply into her eyes. "I'm truly sorry. I would never order you to do something against your will, you know that."

Aiyri nodded slowly. "I know Kaname. It doesn't change the fact that you still have that power over me."

The Pureblood released her face and leaned away. "Please, Aiyri. What were you doing there today?"

She sighed as she launched into the retelling of her morning, all the while making an effort to keep Aidou from seeming too guilty of anything. _Please forgive me_ she thought while she gave away the information that would no doubt get the blond vampire penalized for his actions.


	9. Disputes

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[9] Disputes

Once Aiyri had finished speaking, a play of emotions flitted across the pureblood's face until he finally recomposed himself. Kaname took in a deep breath before speaking. "Aidou brought you to fight a Level E so that he could confirm the rumors that you are the daughter of a vampire hunter." Each word was strained as he repeated the fact.

Aiyri reached a hand to him, brushing her fingertips along his jaw line. "He was only curious. And I'm fine, really," She leaned forward, staring with her bright green eyes into his dark burgundy stare. "Kaname, don't be mad at Aidou. No one got hurt."

Kaname pulled her hand from his face and pressed his lips into a firm line. "Aiyri, it still wasn't right for him to bring you there."

He stood from the bed and strode toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Aiyri lifted herself up and followed him out of the room.

"I need to have a word with Aidou." Kaname continued his gait down the long hallway without glancing towards the redhead.

Aiyri's eyes widened. "Just to talk right? I'm not going to let you hurt him for this."

"Aiyri, stay here." The pureblood said, ignoring her statements.

She narrowed her eyes at him as her legs froze mid-stride on the spot. "Is that an order?" she growled.

With an exasperated sigh, Kaname stopped and pivoted to face the girl. "Of course not Aiyri, but I would prefer it if you did stay here."

Aiyri jerked her chin up defiantly. "Sorry, but that's not going to happen." The pureblood shook his head but spun back around with Aiyri at his heels.

Aidou was lounging in his bedroom floor viewing a collection of small trinkets. He stiffened up at the sound of a loud knock.

"Aidou, open up. I need to talk to you." Despite the wooden door that muffled the voice, Aidou could tell it was Dorm Leader Kuran- and he sounded angry.

"Hai," Hanabusa jumped to his feet and stepped to the door, opening it fully.

The Pureblood stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. Behind him was Aiyri, peering around his elbow. Before Aidou could ask what Kaname needed from him, the pureblood's hand was flying to his face. It connected with Hanabusa's temple with a solid _'thwack'_, sending him staggering sideways.

A gasp escaped Aiyri's lips.

Aidou kept his face lowered but peeked through his lashes at the dorm leader.

"How. Dare. You." Kuran Kaname had his teeth bared as he seized Aidou's collar tightly in a fist. "You have some nerve bringing Aiyri into a trap! What makes you think you can get away with that unpunished?!"

The enraged pureblood lifted Aidou off his feet, shaking him violently in the air.

"Ka-" Hanabusa began, but his breath was caught in his throat as Kaname suddenly swiveled and knocked him into the wall beside the doorway. Aidou winced, cringing away from the pureblood vampire.

"Shut _**up**_!" Kaname bellowed into Aidou's face. "I don't want to hear your apologies or excuses. You are _never_ to go near Aiyri again, do you understand that?!" With a sudden jerk of the pure blood's arm, Aidou was heaved to the floor.

The blond recoiled from the fuming vampire.

"Kaname, stop it," Aiyri's voice was panicked, but she could hardly speak above a loud whisper. She'd never seen Kaname this angry the entire time she's ever known him. It was frightening.

Kaname took a step towards Aidou, yanking him onto his feet by the neck of his shirt. "You are _not_ to speak to her. You are _not_ to see her. You are _not_to go _anywhere near her_!" He pulled an arm back and snapped it forward with as much force as he could manage to collide with Aidou's face.

"Kaname stop!" Aiyri leaped from the doorway and wedged herself between the two. Her eyes squeezed shut instinctively as the pureblood's fist continued to move toward her face.

But nothing came. There was no hit. Hesitantly, Aiyri opened her eyes. Obscuring her central line of vision was a row of knuckles, an inch away from her face. She blinked, and the fist tightened, then dropped.

A disgusted sigh escaped Kuran, but as the breath passed escaped his lips, it came out closer to the sound of a growl.

"Aiyri, what are you _doing_?" Kaname demanded.

She clenched her jaw, her eyes smoldering.

The pure blood was taken aback by her hostile expression and he let out another sigh, quieter this time. He lifted a hand to his face covering his eyes as he breathed deeply through his nose in an endeavor to calm himself. He seemed to struggle with the task, and rather than taking out the rest of his anger on Aidou, he decided to leave instead.

Kaname turned with a lithe motion, and was suddenly gone from the room. A second after his departure, the windows abruptly shattered, and fragments of glass fell to the floor, clinking to an inconsistent rhythm. Aiyri jumped slightly at the noise, but then calmed herself again as she spun to face Aidou. Hanabusa appeared to be petrified, his posture tight and stiff, his azure irises expanded in fright.

"Aidou," Aiyri spoke in a soft whisper, wary of startling him. She reached a hand to him slowly.

His irises shrunk back to their normal size as he focused on Aiyri. He slapped away her hand but locked her wrist into a vice like grip. "I don't need comfort from you," He snarled.

Aiyri's eyes widened, but her brow creased in an expression of angered shock. "What?"

"You said you wouldn't tell him," The blond reminded her.

She scoffed. "You can't seriously be angry with _me!_ I'm sure you know the authority a Pureblood has over the rest of us!" _Although that's only a fraction of the influence he has on _me_._ She thought to herself.

Aidou tugged her arm, pulling her face closer to his. He leered into her eyes.

Aiyri's eyes burned an intense jade as she glowered in return.

"Go on," She taunted. "Say that isn't true. Tell me that any normal vampire could just ignore the orders of the Purebloods."

After a second's pass, Aidou's gaze softened and he leaned away, releasing his hold on Aiyri's arm. "You're right," He muttered. "Sorry."

Aiyri lifted her arm back up hesitantly, then touched the spot where Kaname had first hit Aidou. She traced her fingertips along Aidou's temple with tender grace. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

"I'm a vampire. We heal fast." He answered.

Aiyri exhaled faintly through her nose. "I know that, silly. It doesn't mean that we don't feel the pain, though." She lowered her hand. "Aidou, I'm-"

"Aiyri," A soft voice came from the door. Aiyri turned toward the sound of her name.

"Ichijou-senpai?" Aiyri blinked twice in perplexity.

He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, but Kaname-sama told me to come get you."

Aiyri's eyes expanded and her mouth flipped into a scowl. Ichijou's light green eyes were apologetic as he gestured for Aiyri to come with him. She clenched her jaw as she gave him one jerky nod. She wouldn't be difficult for Ichijou, he was only doing what he had been told to do.

"Bye, Aidou-kun." And without another backwards glance at Aidou, Aiyri trailed Ichijou's footsteps out of the room.

For the remainder of the Saturday afternoon, Aiyri lay sprawled on her back in the middle of her dorm room floor. She had her eyes shut as she focused on taking in deep even breaths. Ichijou had led her to her room, leaving with a quiet apology. She hadn't tried to leave, knowing that Kaname probably had her on lockdown. He was too overprotective.

"This is ridiculous!" Aiyri yelled in irritation. There was no one in the room with her, but she knew there was _someone_ with in hearing distance keeping a watch on her.

Nobody replied, of course. Aiyri flung an arm over her eyes and retreated into her thoughts.

The line between her conscious thoughts and her unconscious memories soon began to blur, as Aiyri drifted in and out of awareness. Before she could fall deeply enough asleep for dreams, she was startled awake by the soft tapping coming from her door. Aiyri remained laying down, keeping her eyes closed as someone spoke from outside her room.

"Aiyri." It was Kaname. "May I speak with you?"

She didn't answer.

"I know you're angry with me," He said through the door.

Once more, she kept silent. There was a moment of stillness, then she felt a light breeze of the door opening, and then heard it click shut as it swung back to the frame. She felt someone settle on the floor beside her, but yet she paid the Pureblood no mind.

"Aiyri, you know that I care about you, and that I don't want you in harm's way." Kaname kept his voice quiet. "I only-"

"It was pointless, you know." Aiyri cut in. "Attacking Aidou like that. What good did that do? I already got rid of the Level E. No one got hurt. So what was the purpose of-"

Kuran interrupted her this time. "The point was putting Aidou in his place. He was out of line to bring you there."

Aiyri opened her eyes sat up to face the Pureblood. "Kaname, I know that you were just trying to look out for me-"

"Trying?"

"But," Aiyri continued as if he didn't interrupt her. "I'm old enough to take care of myself. Besides, fighting vampires is in my blood, I guess. Family business."

"Old enough to take care of yourself?" Kaname echoed. "Right. Just like in the forest where I found you, right? You were taking perfect care of yourself, finding your own food on these school grounds. Congratulations for that Aiyri, you know how to hunt." His voice took on a sarcastic and bitter tone.

"That's not fai-" Aiyri started, but couldn't finish her defense before she was once again cut short.

"And when I found you in the middle of the pathway, face down in the cement, drenched from the rain, yes, you were taking plenty good care of yourself there!" He jumped to his feet, and Aiyri mirrored the motion.

"Yes, you would do just fine by yourself without my help, is that it?!" He yelled into her face.

Aiyri bit her cheek, her eyes gleaming with a wetness she held back. "That isn't what I meant," She growled indignantly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, then what did you mean?" Kaname asked sourly.

"I meant that I'm old enough to pick my friends. I can handle myself just _fine_! I took care of that deranged vampire in the church, and I came out unscathed. There was no point in you assaulting Aidou like that!" Her hands balled up tightly into fists at her sides, digging her nails into her palms.

The Pureblood let out a deep growl. "Aiyri, don't be stupid. You can't go around fighting Level E's, its-"

"It was _one_ thing Kaname! Jeeze, you're overreacting to the situation!"

"Alright," Kaname allowed, "It was only one. Today that is. What about next time? How do I know that you won't go off searching for more of those things to kill? Answer me that."

"What?" Aiyri sneered. "You think I'm going to go running off looking for kills? After one encounter with that horrid thing, what makes you think I want to go looking for more?"

"Don't you? You were the one who just said that killing vampires is in your blood. You're a natural born Hunter, Aiyri. Aidou just proved that today. Now that he did, word will most definitely get out about it sooner or later and people will come looking for you!" Kaname's nostrils flared as he grabbed Aiyri's shoulders and pulled her closer to his face, his deep auburn eyes burning with intensity. "Do you understand that Aiyri? Once people hear that Rakita Kurushii has a daughter, they will go searching. They'd all either want to recruit you as a Hunter, or kill you!" He winced at his own words.

Aiyri pulled away from him, glowering at the pureblood. "Aidou won't tell anyone! And just tell Akatsuki and Shiki not to tell either! You can do that, and they'll for sure listen to you. I don't understand why you're acting this way!" She bit her lip to keep it from quivering. She hardly ever fought with Kaname. Even when they did disagree this strongly, he's never yelled at her this much.

Kuran groaned irately. "Aiyri, its not that simple! There could have been others around the church when you were there, others that I have no jurisdiction over! Do you understand _that_?"

"Ugh! This is completely insane, Kaname!" The redhead threw her hands up in frustration. "So what? Let them recruit me. I'll become a Hunter like my mother, then I can take care of whoever or whatever the hell comes after me. I'll follow in her footsteps and become the best of the best. I'll be just like her!"

Kaname stiffened suddenly and his eyes were suddenly flooded with some tormented shadow.

"What now?!" Aiyri demanded, pulling her arms across her chest heatedly.

When the Pureblood spoke again, his voice was low, all the anger washed away, and yet it seemed to sting more than the all the yelling. "That's just it. You'll become just like her. But what if one day, just like her, you don't come back?"

Aiyri's face dropped, becoming entirely blank.

Kaname kept speaking. "What if, just like her, you disappear entirely? What if some day, just like her, no one knows what's happened to you? What will happen if you're suddenly gone, never to be seen or heard from by anyone at all?" Kaname focused on her face, his eyes pained as he imagined her gone. "What do you expect me to do then?"

Aiyri's eyes glistened once more as tears brimmed over and rolled down her cheeks at the reminder of her mother. She stood still for a moment, glaring fiercely at Kaname as the tears continued falling.

"Aiyri?" He whispered.

She shook her head as he reached toward her. "Get out, Kaname," Her voice spoke in a whisper, choked up with tears. "Just, please, get out."

**A/N::** Review?


	10. Mind Your Memories

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[10] Mind Your Memories

The room was in total silence once Kaname had left.

Mechanically, Aiyri stumbled over toward the window, sitting herself on the bench that ran along it. She pulled up her knees to her chest and stared out the panes of the window. Looking through the glass, she could see the front court of the Night Dorms. It was empty of people, there weren't even Day Class students out in front of the gates today. The branches on the trees were swaying along with the gentle breeze, the leaves rustling softly. The sun was moving down from the center point in the sky, indicating that it was past noon. It was a pleasant day, all in all, but Aiyri was confined to her room.

She shut her eyes and pressed her face against the window, her breath coming out in a soft sigh as her warm cheek touched the contrasting temperature of the glass. The sudden chill of the window drew out a wintry image from the back of her mind, and Aiyri leaned into the coldness, letting the memory rush into her mind._Dark, gray clouds clumped up in the shadowy sky, dropping small, white flecks to whirl erratically with the aggressive wind. The air held a harsh, crisp frostiness that penetrated the skin and chilled the bones. In the midst of the severe snow storm, a woman trudged determinedly, her mind set on enduring the blizzard._

_In her arms, she held a small bundle, which she pressed so closely against her chest. She leaned into it and whispered, "Shh, shh. It'll be alright. We'll be fine."_

_A sudden gust blew, knocking back the woman's hood, exposing scarlet tresses. Her hair was whipped around her face as she hurriedly pulled the cowl back over her head. A soft cry came from her arms, and she hunched her shoulders to keep the snow from falling onto the item in her hold. She peered into it, cooing gently. "It's alright little one. You're going to be fine, we're almost there."_

_As if on cue, a large household appeared around the corner._

_"See?" The woman murmured. "Right there. We're almost safe..."_

_Her steps quickened as she hurried to reach the house a few yards away. In her haste and exhaustion, she stumbled, falling onto her belly. The child flew from her arms and soared through the air._

_"No!" She yelled. Pushing herself up with her elbows, the woman saw that the baby had not fallen into the snow._

_Instead, a boy stood a few yards before her, carefully taking seize of the tiny thing wrapped in blankets. He held the child with a wary gentleness as he pressed it to his body, keeping its face as much out of the chill as he could._

_The woman had pushed herself up to her feet now, and she eyed the newcomer holding the child. _

_"Shall we go inside, Miss Kurushii-sama?" The boy turned without waiting for a response from the woman._

_The woman followed hurriedly, walking alongside the boy. _

_Entering the threshold of the house was like stepping into paradise after being in the snow for so long. Warm air rushed to greet the woman and she momentarily closed her eyes, soaking up the feeling of comfort that the warmth brought her._

_She turned to the boy beside her. "You must be Kuran, Kaname-sama?" _

_She knew vampires were young, and definitely most beautiful looking, but he was extraordinary. He had a look of youth about him, more than usual, but he didn't look to be childish the way young human beings do. There was a sophisticated air that he held, keeping him from seeming to be the adolescent vampire that he was._

_He turned to face her, and she was almost lost in his endless auburn eyes. "Yes, that would be me. Welcome to the Kuran family home. I take it that this is the little child you mentioned to the family." He said, rocking his arms slowly in an unthinking motion as the child began to cry. She quieted immediately._

_Miss Kurushii nodded as she pulled down her hood. "Yes. That's my daughter."_

_Kaname looked down at the baby he held, his dark hair falling around her face. She cooed happily, reaching towards the vampire's face._

_Her large eyes were the brightest of greens, holding an intelligence and focus that babies don't typically have. Her mouth opened in a smile, exposing a full row of vampire holding the child looked up at the mother, his brows pulling together slightly in confusion. "How old is she?"_

_The mother stepped closer, looking down at her baby. "She's a little over a month old."_

_Perplexed, Kaname blinked, roaming his eyes over the child once more. "How peculiar..." He mused. He lifted her up to his face, and her emerald eyes aligned with his brown ones. _

_"Hello there, little one," Kaname murmured softly. Then he turned to Miss Kurushii, handing her back her child. The mother took her back, grateful to have her baby back in her arms._

_"She's beautiful." The vampire said. "Oh, if you'll follow me, I'll show you where you are staying."_

_Kaname led the woman through the vast house, passing few vampires along the way. Arriving at the designated room, the Pureblood opened the door for the woman, letting her in first._

_The room was a little bit bigger than standard size. It had one bed pushed up against the back wall, and two windows on either side of it. Beside the bed was a crib, lined with pink blankets and pillows. Curled up in the middle of the bed, though, was another boy. Although he looked to be around the same age as Kaname, he lacked that regal maturity that seemed to flow around the Pureblood. This boy was a young vampire like Kaname, but had an immaturity about him that wasn't with the other vampire._

_At the sight of him, the Pureblood clicked his tongue, and walked towards the bed. _

_"My apologies, Miss Kurushii," He said as he reached to wake the boy._

_The red haired woman shook her head, smiling. "Its alright. It isn't my house." She strode to the crib, slowly placing her baby, which had fallen asleep, inside it._

_The boy on the bed stirred at Kaname's touch, waking up with a soft groan. He looked up at Kaname with large golden eyes. "Kaname-sama?" He asked. Then his eyes widened- a seemingly impossible feat- and he pushed himself upright._

_"What are you doing in here, Kaname-sama?" He asked._

_"This is Miss Kurushii's room, Ryukei," Kaname addressed him. "You aren't supposed to go wandering into other people's quarters."_

_Ryukei bowed his head, contrite. "Gomenasai, Kaname-sama. I was exploring the house and I guess I fell asleep." The boy's eyes wandered until they landed on the woman standing by the bed. "Sorry to be a disturbance to you, Ma'am." Ryukei said, a smile reaching his eyes. "I'm Ryukei Ketsu." He crawled on the bed to the woman's side._

_"Not at all, Ryukei," The woman smiled. "I am Rakita Kurushii, nice to meet you."_

_Ryukei grinned again and leaned in to peer inside the crib. "This your baby?" He asked._

_Rakita nodded._

_"What's her name?"_

_"Aiyri. Aiyri Kurushii." The woman answered._

_Ryukei reached in the crib, touching Aiyri's hair with the tips of his fingers. "She has a lot of hair for a baby," He pointed out._

_"Ryukei," Came Kaname's voice, quiet but stern. "She's sleeping, leave her be."_

_Obediently, the boy began to move his hand out of the crib. Aiyri's eyes fluttered open at the movement, and her tiny hand clasped around Ryukei's index finger._

_"Hey!" Ryukei chuckled. "Sorry to wake you, Aiyri!"_

_The baby pulled his hand to her mouth and bit down on his finger._

_"Ow!" Startled, Ryukei pulled his hand away with a jerk._

_Aiyri began to scream, a non-stop, ear piercing sound, angered that her chew toy had been taken away. Her mother lifted her out of the crib to comfort her, but her screams didn't cease._

_"Shh, it's alright Aiyri, don't cry. Mommy's here." She whispered to her child in an attempt to calm her. Aiyri continued her wailing._

_The Pureblood reached for her. "May I?"_

_With a doubtful stare, Rakita Kurushii handed over her child to the vampire._

_Kaname began to rock his arms slowly, soothingly. Aiyri's screams quieted to whines as she stared up at the vampire's beautiful face. His mahogany stare seemed to mesmerize the child, and she was silent when he began to hum softly to her. _

_"There now, it seems that she likes me," Kaname couldn't help but smile at the child._

_"What a loud baby," Ryukei complained. He stared at Aiyri from over Kaname's shoulder. "Screaming is quite hurtful to other's ears, you should try being quieter."_

_The way Aiyri stared at the vampire, it was as if she understood what he was saying. Her mouth opened again in a toothy grin. Ryukei smiled back in response._

_As Kaname began to put her back down in the crib, she protested, whining complaints that threatened to erupt into screams if the Pureblood put her down._

_"Quick, pick her back up Kaname-sama!" Ryukei's hands flew up to the sides of his head, covering his ears, preparing for the wails in case they came. Aiyri silenced as Kaname picked her back up, holding her once again near his chest._

_"She must _really_ like you!" Ryukei exclaimed, stroking the top of Aiyri's head. Aiyri's mother yawned, sitting down on the bed with the two vampires and her daughter. _

_"Why don't you rest up, Rakita-sama?" Ryukei hopped off the bed, his golden eyes still watching Aiyri._

_The Pureblood seemed to agree with this. "Yes, it will do you some good. You look exhausted. Ryukei and I will watch over Aiyri since she doesn't seem in the mood to sleep."_

_Rakita scrutinized the two. Aiyri seemed comfortable enough with the Pureblood. Besides, the Kuran family had been kind enough in letting her and Aiyri live with them. "Alright, you two take care of her, okay?"_

_The golden eyed vampire grinned playfully. "Yeah, no worries!" He plucked the baby from Kaname's arms, holding her up to his face. Aiyri pressed a hand against his cheek and giggled._

_"Aw, she likes me too- Ouch!"_

_Aiyri had closed her hand on his face, pinching the skin. She let out a peal of laughter at Ryukei's outburst. Kaname chuckled also, taking back Aiyri from the offended was rubbing his cheek. "Strong little monster, aren't you?" He pressed a finger to Aiyri's face, but swiftly pulled it away again before she could get her hands on it. Rakita laughed from where she was on the bed._

_"Let's go Aiyri," Kaname moved his arms so that Aiyri was sitting up in his arms against his chest. "Your mother needs her rest."_

_He followed Ryukei out of the room, letting the door swing shut behind him._

The vision abruptly ended when a solid thump resounded in Aiyri's ears. She opened her eyes to find herself on the floor, staring at the ceiling. It was strange, seeing as she never had any memories from when she was a baby, to have that vision of when her mother first moved in with the Kurans. Very odd indeed.

Aiyri racked her brain, not able to find any conscious memories of when she was a baby. Unable to remember anything, she chalked it up to her mind reacting to the cold against her cheek, and it had pulled up a memory that had some link to what she was feeling at the time. She was positive that it wasn't stray thoughts, though she couldn't make herself remember, the vision was familiar. She knew that's what must have happened when she first met Kaname and... She forced herself to think his name- Ryukei.

At the deliberate remembrance of the boy, Aiyri rolled to her stomach and buried her face in the crook of an elbow. Purposely trying to think of something else, she let her mind roam onto the first few memories she could recall. Unfortunately, as she began to slip back into unconsciousness, she realized too late that those memories as well held the boy she willed herself not to remember.

_Ryukei smiled at the grumpy little six-year-old that sat before him. _

_"C'mon, Red, cheer up a bit." He coaxed her playfully. "I know you get upset when your momma leaves for an assignment, but is it necessary to go through this every time?"_

_Aiyri crossed her legs on the thick bough of the tree that she perched on. She looked down at her friend, pouting angrily. "Yes, it is very ness...Ness-ee-sary." She let out a frustrated 'humph' and crossed her arms._

_"Come on down from there, will you?" Ryukei tried again. "Don't make me go and get Kaname-sama."_

_The small girl's eyes widened. "You wouldn't do that, Ryukei. You like me too much!" She exclaimed, sticking out her tongue at the vampire._

_He frowned slightly because she called his obvious bluff. "You're right, I wouldn't." A light breeze passed, whooshing through his dark hair. Aiyri swayed to one side in a token of motions, moved faintly by the wind._

_Ryukei caught this motion. "Aiyri, get down from there before you fall!" He demanded._

_She shook her head rebelliously. "No!"_

_"Please, Red, come on down from there! Why can't you hide under a bed instead of a tree?" The vampire crossed his arms._

_"Because I did that last time!" The girl replied, jumping easily to her feet on the branch._

_Ryukei inhaled sharply at her careless movements. "Red, why do you never listen to me? You always listen to Kaname-sama!"_

_"So?!" Aiyri challenged._

_"'So' nothing. I was just wondering why."_

_The girl sighed and dropped her head, letting the wind catch her hair. "Alright," she muttered. "I guess I can listen to you this _one_ time. Just to be fair."_

_Aiyri stepped backwards in to the air, catching the branch in her hands before she fell to the ground. As she hung suspended in the air, Ryukei stepped towards her, pulling her form to him. Aiyri released the branch and fell into his arms. He then slung her easily onto his back where she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck._

_"That's hardly 'fair' Aiyri. You already spend just about all of your time with him when he's around, and you're always willing to listen to him!" Ryukei began walking. "How do you think that makes me feel?"_

_"Nuh-uh!" She argued. "I don't _always_ listen to Kaname-kun!"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry," Ryukei's tone held a certain sarcastic edge. "When do you _not_ listen to him?"_

_Aiyri pondered for a moment, then replied, "When he makes me wear those frilly dresses at those parties with really old people!... I don't listen to him then."_

_Ryukei turned his head, giving Aiyri a sideways glance. "You still end up going, though."_

_Aiyri rested her chin on Ryukei's shoulder, leaning her cheek against his. "I know. Only because I always lose."_

_At this the vampire chuckled. "Right, those little staring contests you always have with him." He felt her nod against his face._

_A short silence hung between the two as Ryukei continued his walk back to the house._

_"Do you like Kaname more than me, Aiyri?" He asked suddenly, his voice casting a hurt tone._

_Aiyri shook her head almost immediately, sending some of her locks flying into the vampire's face. "'Course not, silly. I like you both the same."_

_"Hmm," Ryukei pondered this. "Let me ask something else: Which one of us is your very best friend?"_

_Without a second's hesitation, Aiyri answered again. "You are."_

_This surprised the boy. "Oh... What about Kaname-sama then?"_

_"He's my brother. I figured, since I live with the Kurans and since Kaname takes such good care of me, we're just like family. Me, him, and my momma."_

_The Kuran house was in sight then, and Ryukei let the girl slide from his back. She released his neck, and as soon as her feet were on the ground, she looped her arm into his._

_"But you're my very best friend, Ryukei." She said quietly._

_Ryukei nodded silently, keeping his eyes fixed on to a group of forms at the front of the house, silhouetted against the setting sun. _

_"I think your momma's leaving now," He said to Aiyri._

_"Oh!" She ran to the house, throwing her arms around the nearest figure. The form looked down at the girl who was holding him. _

_"Kaname, is momma leaving now?" She asked him. The Pureblood nodded, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders._

_Rakita emerged from the large house, carrying a pack on her shoulder. She greeted Kaname, along with the two other people there, then lastly her daughter._

_"Aiyri," She whispered. The little girl ran into her mother and was lifted up into her arms. _

_"I'll miss you, momma." She pressed her face into her mother's neck, crying softly._

_The woman stroked her daughter's hair, whispering words of comfort. "It'll all be alright, Aiyri. Be a good girl for Kaname, okay?" She put her child back on the ground, keeping her hands on her shoulders._

_"I'll be good." Aiyri's bottom lip jutted out, quivering faintly as she held back tears. "Be safe, momma, I love you."_

_Her mother gave her a small smile, contradicting the somber look in her eyes. "I'll see you next week, Aiyri. I love you too." She looked up at Kaname, composing herself quickly. "Take ca-"_

_"I always do, Rakita-sama," The Pureblood assured her. "She's always watched over."_

_"No worries," Ryukei jumped in. "I'm watching over her too."_

_The woman smiled at the irony. The vampire hunter leaving her daughter to the care of vampires. "Alright you two, I'm counting on you to watch out for her. You know she gets herself into all kinds of trouble."_

_The vampires nodded and ignored Aiyri's protests at the statement._

_"Good-bye, Kurushii-sama." _

_Aiyri's mother turned after placing a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead. "I love you Aiyri."_

_Aiyri waved at her mother's turned figure as she began to walk away. "I love you too, momma. See you next week, bye!"_

It was already night when Aiyri awoke, still on the floor, and realized that her cheeks were wet. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and ran a hand across her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the tears that were in danger of spilling over. She couldn't, though no matter how hard she tried, push away the feelings that the memory brought back up.

She inhaled deeply to calm herself.

The sorrow sank back down momentarily, not gone, but only repressed. Her breath began to quicken, inching towards hyperventilating, and she struggled to settle her emotions. It was a useless attempt though, for how can you bury the emotions that you feel so strongly? You cannot hold in the grief you feel towards someone you lost. Aiyri folded herself up, hugging her knees, and looked around her empty room. It was dark, but the moonlight through the window illuminated the furniture with an eerie glow. She was alone in the room, and when one feels as she felt now, they shouldn't be alone. But she was. The realization came to her like a slap to the face.

No one was there to comfort her tonight.

She curled up on the floor and sobbed quietly through the night.


	11. Our Losses

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[11] Our Losses

After being reminded of her last day with her mother, and being put through the heartache of the remembrance, you'd think that Aiyri deserved to lapse back into a dreamless sleep. Though that's what she wished for, it wasn't what she received. Her slumber continued with dreams of the week she spent waiting in anxiety for her mother's return._The evening after her mother's departure had left, Aiyri sat mutely on a plush couch beside Ryukei- with Kaname in an armchair in front of them- thinking about her mother. "Kaname, what do you think Momma's doing right now?" She tugged on the Pureblood's sleeve as he stood up from the velvet loveseat._

_Ryukei, who was lounging comfortably with his feet up on the coffee table, answered, "She's out on her assignment killing those Level-E sons of bit-"_

_Kaname lobbed a pillow at him before he could finish his profane insults to the dropped vampires. "Watch your language, Ketsu." Aiyri giggled. She's heard Ryukei swear before, but he was usually careful not to use vulgar language around Kaname._

_"Sorry," Ryukei said to the Pureblood. "What I meant was, Aiyri, your mommy is right now ridding the world of very bad vampires." He grinned at the little girl. She gave him a small smile in reply, though her eyes were taut with worry._

_"Hey," Kaname outstretched an arm to her, holding his hand palm up. Aiyri reached for it, letting the vampire pull her to her feet. Kaname tugged her into his chest. "Listen, your mother's fine right now. She's the best at what she does, and she won't let anything happen to herself; she knows she has to come back for you." The Pureblood pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Don't stress yourself, it wouldn't do any good."_

_Aiyri leaned into him with a sigh. "You're right...but I can't help it. I'm scared for her and I can't pull my mind away from those thoughts!"_

_Ryukei removed his feet from the table and was beside the other two in one fluid motion. His golden eyes beamed at the girl. "Hey, I know, let's go for a walk, Aiyri. You like that, don't you? That'll get your mind off things."_

_The Pureblood turned the girl so that she could see both vampires. "Yes," He said, "You and Ryukei go enjoy yourselves."_

_Ryukei lifted his eyes to Kaname. "What are you going to do?"_

_"I have to visit little Yuuki. I haven't been to see her in a while."_

_Aiyri's eyes dropped and her lip pouted slightly. Noticing this, Kaname asked, "Is there something the matter, Aiyri?"_

_She shook her head._

_"Aiyri," Kaname urged._

_"You aren't jealous, are you, Red?" The other vampire mussed her hair lightly._

_"No, it isn't that," The little girl replied. "I'm not jealous at all... But, Kaname, why is it that I can never come with you to meet Yuuki?"_

_Realization swept over the two vampires. Ever since Aiyri had come to the Kuran home, the only friends she had were the two of them, and at times, neither of the vampires could be around. Her mother was out on assignments frequently, and being left home with no one around to play with and no where to go tends to make one lonely. Aiyri was only a little human girl, she needed other human friends too. It was unfortunate that she couldn't have met Yuuki. She was well aware of vampires, and the same age as Aiyri. They would've gotten along well._

_Kaname was the first to respond, "Well, Aiyri, you aren't supposed to leave the family grounds. You know that."_

_She wasn't satisfied with this answer. "But __why__?"_

_The Pureblood released a sigh. "Alright, I suppose you should know." He paused to glance over the girl's head to Ryukei, then continued speaking before Aiyri could notice anything. "You know that your mother is a very good vampire hunter. Famous, even."_

_The little girl bobbed her head up and down in a nod._

_"Well, there are some bad vampires out there who would want to hurt your mother. As terrible as that sounds, there are those who would go to such extremes as to hurting you."_

_Aiyri looked confused, so Kaname explained._

_"See, Aiyri, if you were ever hurt, or taken away, your mother would go through great lengths to get you back. Those horrid vampires that dwell in our world know that a mother would do anything for her child, so to get to Rakita- your mother- they would first get to you." He stopped, looking at the girl to see if she comprehended all of this._

_She pursed her lips, thinking. "Alright, but why can't I go off the Kuran grounds? If I was with you, or Ryukei, I'd be safe, wouldn't I?"_

_Behind her, Ryukei grinned. "Of course you'd be safe, Aiyri. We'd never let anything happen to you."_

_"It would be sinful it we did," Kaname agreed. "But to get back on point, you can't leave the grounds because no one outside the Kuran family knows about you."_

_She blinked at this, and her brows pulled together. She glanced pointedly at Ryukei._

_"I'm different, Red. I'm practically family anyway. I've known Kaname for a very long time. He trusts me enough," Ryukei said._

_The Pureblood nodded, letting Aiyri know that this was true._

_"But," Aiyri said, "Don't you trust Yuuki? She wouldn't tell, would she?"_

_Kaname shook his head. "No, she wouldn't tell, but that isn't the case. People could see you if you left the grounds. It isn't safe, Aiyri." The finality in his voice rang out, and Aiyri dropped her head in defeat._

_"I don't like it," She muttered as she turned and walked away from the two._

_Kaname sighed heavily. "Go after her, Ryukei. Take her mind off things."_

_The other vampire nodded, his dark bangs falling over his eyes. He followed after Aiyri, catching up to her and hauling her into his arms as the made their way outside._

Aiyri's vision blacked out momentarily, then quickly picked up again to the afternoon her mother was scheduled to return.

_"Momma's coming home! Momma's coming home!" Aiyri chanted as she bounced up and down in Ryukei's lap. The vampire rested his chin on the top of her head and wrapped his arms around the girl in an effort to keep her still._

_"Aiyri," He chuckled, "You won't have any energy left for later if you don't quit moving."When Kaname came back with Aiyri's mother, the four of them- Aiyri, her mother, Kaname, and Ryukei- would go on a picnic in one of the secluded meadows that Kaname knew of._

_"Sorry, Ryukei," Aiyri said, "I'm too excited! I can't sit still, Momma's coming home!" her arms flew upward, breaking out of the vampire's hold._

_As two forms appeared in the distance, Aiyri leaped out of Ryukei's lap and pointed. "Look, there they are!" Aiyri squinted at the figures who were too far away for her human eyes to see clearly. "Momma! Kaname!"_

_Ryukei, on the other hand, could see perfectly to that distance, his vampire senses more advanced than the girl's. One of the figures was definitely the Pureblood, but the other was neither Aiyri's mother, nor female. Ryukei sprung to his feet, his shoulders turned to the other form beside him. His lips moved to quickly for Ryukei to distinguish the separate words. The other figure nodded slowly, then turned and walked away from sight. Kaname looked up, his eyes locking with Ryukei's._

_The Pureblood shook his head, then continued to walk towards the house._

_Ryukei's golden eyes darted to Aiyri, who was beaming brilliantly and exuding delight. He shifted to stand behind her so she couldn't see his face. The vampire clenched his jaw, taking in deep steady breaths. As Kaname reached the two, alone, Aiyri's face fell to confusion._

_She craned her neck, looking to see behind the vampire. When she found no one else in sight, she looked up at the Pureblood. "Kaname, where's momma?" She asked, her tone holding obvious disappointment. "Is she at a meeting still?"_

_The Pureblood took a moment to form the words to explain, closing his eyes as he did so. He crouched down so his face was level with the girl's. "Aiyri," He began, his voice soft and gentle. "Your momma is..." He stopped to take in a breath, not willing to tell the girl the sad truth:_

_That her mother was claimed dead. The Level E's that she and her team had been sent to eliminate had been a bait set up by another vampire, conspiring to rid the world of its best Hunter. On the second day of the assignment, the Hunters had been ambushed, and, outnumbered, were taken down. When her mother hadn't reported back to say that one of the Level E's were eliminated, more Hunters were dispatched to find the team. The scene of the attack was gruesome. Blood stained the ground, and in about the center of the area lay a pair of torsos, their severed limbs beside them. These were identified to belong to Rakita's teammates. Her body was no where to be found. The best Trackers were sent out to find her. They spent the remainder of that week searching for Rakita Kurushii. On the final day, she was declared to be MIA- Missing In Action- since there was no body to be found. That was the official statement. The more likely one was that she was just dead, and the body had been well disposed of._

_Aiyri's green eyes flared as she waited for Kaname to finish his sentence, though by the look on his face she could tell that it wouldn't be good news spilling from his lips. "My momma is what Kaname? Was she hurt? What happened?!" Her voice shot up an octave as she inched to hysteria. When the Pureblood didn't say anything, she grabbed his shoulders, her breath speeding up with alarm. "Kaname!"_

_The Pureblood reached out, wrapping his arms around her, and pulled Aiyri into his chest. "I'm sorry Aiyri. Your mother isn't coming home."_

_He felt her body stiffen in his arms, and he reached a hand up to the back of her head. Aiyri shoved away from the Pureblood suddenly, a fierce scowl on her face. Without warning, her hand landed a blow to the vampire's face._

_Stunned, Kaname froze, his eyes widening at the girl. "Aiyri-" He started to stand._

_"No!" She screamed, pushing him away with all the force she could gather. She rejected the thought of her mother gone. "She said she was coming home! She said it herself! Don't say that Kaname! NO!" Aiyri pounded her fists against his stomach. "That's not true! It's __**not**__!"_

_"Aiyri," Kaname whispered, his arms limp against his sides as the girl beat angrily onto his torso. "I'm sorry, Aiyri."_

_"No!" She screamed again. Her strikes weakened and slowed as the thought began to seep into her mind. 'Mother wasn't coming back'. The thought was like a kick to the gut."No." She said more quietly, her voice cracking as tears came on. Her hands closed onto the fabric of the vampire's clothes and her head fell forward as she buried her face into Kaname's chest. _

_He comforted her as best he could, stroking the back of her hair, wrapping an arm around her small figure. He wouldn't make false truth's by telling her that she would be fine, that everything was alright. No matter how much he wanted to take back his words, he couldn't. It was the truth, and how painful the truth hurt._

_He let Aiyri sob herself out, and when her form went limp, Kaname lifted her up in his arms. She lay silent in the vampire's arms now, her face stained with tear trails. Ryukei stepped toward her for the first time and ran a finger along her cheeks to wipe away the wetness. Kaname made his way to the girl's bedroom, and set her down gently onto her bed. Aiyri rolled over to her side in her sleep, and Ryukei pulled the blanket over her._

_"Poor thing," He murmured softly. Then he looked to the Pureblood. "She'll be alright, eventually, won't she?"_

_Kaname's dark eyes were grave as he met the golden stare of the other vampire. "I hope so, Ketsu. I hope so."_

_"Ketsu."_

_The vampire looked up at the sound of his name, his eyes focusing on the wooden door of Aiyri's bedroom. It opened without a sound, and Kaname slipped in. The Pureblood's mahogany stare landed on the little girl, who was sitting upright on the other vampire's lap. Aiyri stared blankly at Kaname as he approached, her eyes not focusing on him. She would have seemed a doll if it weren't for her breathing and occasional blinking. But that's all she did._

_Behind her, on the bedside table, sat a glass of water and a tray of food- untouched._

_"Is she any better?" Kaname asked._

_Ryukei shook his head despondently. "I'm worried about her Kaname-sama. She doesn't move unless someone's there to push her along, and she hasn't said a word for five days now. She's been catatonic since that day." Both vampires were careful not to mention the word 'mother' or her mother's name. Anything reminding the girl of her mother would send her into a fit of screams that didn't end until she wore herself out._

_Kaname nodded briskly, expecting as much. He sat on the bed beside Ryukei, pulling Aiyri's legs up onto his own lap. He turned to Ryukei. "When was the last time you fed yourself, Ketsu?" Kaname asked._

_Ryukei shook his head weakly. "I'm fine, Kaname-sama. I don't want to leave her."_

_"You've made that quite obvious, seeing as you've kept yourself in here, never leaving her side."_

_"She shouldn't be alone. Even if she doesn't acknowledge our presence here, she still needs someone to be with her." Ryukei shook his head. "I'm not going to leave just because I need to take my tablets."_

_Kaname nodded. "I know," He whispered. "That's why I brought you this."_

_The Pureblood held up a round metal container, popping the lid open. Ryukei reached to his side, picking up the glass of water beside the uneaten food. He dropped in a pill, where it spilt open then stained the water a faint red._

"_Thank you, Kaname-sama," He said after downing the mock blood._

_The Pureblood merely shut the container and lowered into Ryukei's jacket pocket. Both their eyes then traveled to the girl._

_"Aiyri," Kaname whispered. "Aiyri, can you hear me?"_

_The girl remained frozen, her eyes hazy and unfocused as she stared at the door._

_"We need you to come back Aiyri," The Pureblood continued. "Ryukei and I miss you, and we're worried sick about you."_

_No response._

_"Red," Ketsu began. "Come back to us, Red, I need my little buddy. I'm scared Aiyri." He pressed his lips to her temple. "Aiyri," He whispered. "You've got to pull out of this soon, or you're just going to sink in deeper."_

_The vampire turned to Kaname, his usually bright yellow eyes now dull with desperation. "There's no change in her Kaname. She doesn't sleep, and she doesn't eat. She can't go on like this for much longer."_

_Kaname's lips pulled down. "I know that, but what can we do? The doctor said that no one can help her. She's got to pull out of this on her own. All we can do is talk to her, and hope that she listens to us."_

_A long sigh escaped both vampires. Kaname stood, letting Aiyri's legs swing down from his lap._

_"Where are you going now?" Ryukei asked, not looking at the Pureblood walked out of the room, and before the door swung shut behind him, he muttered, "To do some more reading. There must be something we can do."_

_Ryukei shook his head. The two of them were going to tire themselves out- Kaname doing non-stop research about Aiyri's condition, and Ryukei, always at Aiyri's side every second, day and night._

_"C'mon, Aiyri, you've got to find your way. Don't lose yourself in this grief." Ryukei pulled the girl closer to him, leaning his cheek to the top of her head. "Come back Aiyri."_

Presently, a soft tapping jolted Aiyri awake. The sound was quiet, but she jerked upright, her eyes wide and round, as she took in quick, short breaths.

A hesitant voice called out from behind the door, "Aiyri?"

Aiyri took a moment to even her breathing, then stood, turning toward the voice.

"Yeah?" She called out, her voice raspy.

"Aiyri, it's Ichijou."

The redhead stepped to the door, opening it enough to see the Noble Blood standing there, dressed in his white uniform.

"What is it Ichijou-senpai?" She asked him, blinking in confusion.

The blond's eyes roved over Aiyri, then widened. "What happened, Aiyri?" He asked alarmed.

Aiyri frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you crying?" Ichijou asked softly. He moved his hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, then thought otherwise and dropped it back down to his side.

Aiyri hurriedly scrubbed her face with her hands. "It's nothing," She whispered. "Nightmares, that's all."

Ichijou gave her a once over then shook his head. "You look... ghastly, Aiyri, I'm sorry to say." He paused, his pale green eyes filled with concern.

Aiyri rubbed her eyes, still drowsy from her restless dreaming. "Do I look that bad? Tch." She scoffed. "I fell asleep on the floor, not the most comfortable place for resting."Ichijou raised his eyebrows, once again scrutinizing her. "Did you sleep all weekend?"

"All weekend?" Aiyri's brow furrowed. "No, I don't-"

"Aiyri, it's Monday evening," Ichijou informed her.

Stunned, Aiyri whipped her head around to the window. The sky was painted orange by the setting sun that took up most of the background when looking out the window. A perfect picture, in Aiyri's opinion. The window faced west perfectly, and had the best view of the retreating daylight.

"Is it really..." She murmured.

"Aiyri-san," Ichijou called, bringing her attention back to him. "If you're alright... Well, I came to escort you to class."

"Oh." Aiyri said, forgetting all about the Night Classes. "You mean Kaname sent you to make sure I didn't skip."

Ichijou's eyebrows pulled up in an apologetic manner. "I suppose you could put it that way."

Aiyri nodded her head in consent. "Alright, then Ichijou-senpai. I won't make things any worse for you."

He gave her a wondering look.

"Well," She answered. "You've already been pulled into the middle of mine and Kaname's quarrel. That has to be an uncomfortable position. I'll behave for you, Ichijou-senpai."

A small smile formed on the blond's face. "Thank-you, Aiyri. I appreciate that."

"You were worried I'd throw a fit, weren't you?" Aiyri smirked playfully when Ichijou nodded sheepishly. "Hm. Knew it." She paused. "I'll get dressed now. Then we can go."

**A/N:** So there you go. I apologize for the long delay. ~Dreamer-chaan


	12. The Sins Within Us

**Disclaimer::** _I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot._

[12] The Sins Within Us

From her peripheral vision, Aiyri could see the Pureblood gazing at her, his expression displeased. When she walked into the classroom with Ichijou-senpai, she hadn't looked up to Kaname. Ignoring him and his words entirely, she walked up the steps and slid herself onto the bench beside Aidou. Both he and the Pureblood stiffened at her actions. She bit back a rebellious smirk.

Aidou glanced at her, his whisper panicked as he asked, "What are you doing Aiyri?"She twisted in her seat to face him, turning her back to Kaname. "Good evening, Aidou-kun. I thought I'd sit by a friend for my first day in the Night Class." Her smile was friendly, but her eyes blazed with defiance.

Aidou opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly his eyes flitted to look above Aiyri. His mouth snapped shut with an audible click. Aiyri slowly spun in her seat and tilted her head back to face the presence looming behind her. No surprise, it was Kaname. Aiyri stared up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. He said nothing though, as made his way up the steps to sit two rows behind them. Shrugging, Aiyri turned to face the front of the room.

A man was suddenly standing there, his long hair falling on his face. His right eye was covered beneath a patch, and the visible one was observing Aiyri. She stared back at him, uninterested.

Silence lingered for a moment. Then he spoke. "Alright, everyone in their seats. Class starts now."

The Night Class flew by much quicker than the Day Class. When the class was dismissed, Aiyri rose from her seat, gathering her books in one sweep in an endeavor to escape the room before Kaname got to her. It was a wasted effort. The Pureblood was at her side the second she stepped into the aisle. But, just like at the beginning of class, Kaname said nothing. His eyes held her gaze in a hard stare, then he turned and walked out of the room, his small group of vampires trailing silently along.

Left in the room with Aiyri was Aidou, who was standing behind her, and Ichijou, who had stayed behind when everyone else left. Aiyri eyed him questioningly. He merely gave her one of his apologetic expressions, and she understood. He was still babysitting. They both sighed quietly in unison. Aiyri turned to let Aidou out into the aisle when he tapped her softly on the shoulder.

"I'll see you around, Aiyri," Aidou parted with a halfhearted smile.

When he was gone, Ichijou took a light hold on the redhead's elbow, "Aiyri?"

"Alright, let's go Ichijou-senpai." Aiyri let him lead her out of the classroom, but then pulled away as they were out in the hall. She was escorted back to her dorm room, but as Aiyri made to close the door, Ichijou stopped it with the toe of his shoe.

"Hold on, Aiyri,"

The girl's eyes were inquiring as she held the door open. "What is it, Ichijou-senpai?"

The male vampire hesitated.

"What ever Kaname wants you to say, Senpai, just tell me. I won't lash out- at least not at you," Aiyri urged him.

"Well," The blond started, "Kaname-sama requested for you to come talk to him in his room later tonight."

Aiyri eyed him shrewdly. "Right. Tell him to screw-"

"Aiyri," The Noble Blood scolded. "Just... I implore you, please, just talk to Dorm Leader Kuran. Okay?"

Aiyri huffed a sigh, nodding as she pushed the door shut.

Later that night -after she had changed out of her uniform, and into more casual clothing- Aiyri made her way into Kaname's room, not bothering to knock.

He was sitting on the side of his bed, elbows propped up on his knees, face in his hands. At the sound of her approach, he lifted his head, but did not make an effort to stand. Aiyri stood a foot in front of him, weight shifted into one leg, arms crossed in a cheeky posture. But her defiance faltered as she fell into the depths of the pureblood's stare. Kaname gazed at her with a pained guilt, a look that Aiyri recognized.

"We've been angry with each other for less than three days, and already I can't stand to have you not speaking to me," Kaname began. "I'm sorry Aiyri. You have my deepest, most sincerest apologies for upsetting you. I detest fighting with you, Aiyri, and I abhor the thought of this prolonging any further. I am entirely contrite of my actions towards you, and I will even apologize to Aidou, if only you'd say you forgive me. I'm sorry Aiyri."

Aiyri crumbled upon hearing his words. Her legs failed her and she began to fall. Being only a foot apart, Kaname easily reached out and pulled the girl into his lap, cradling her in his arms. He stared down at her face, his thumb tracing circles on her cheek. Aiyri's mouth was in a minute frown, her brows pulled together as she contemplated his words. Still frowning, she pushed herself up, so she was sitting on Kaname's lap rather than laying in it.

"Why do you do that?" She asked him.

Confusion was evident in the pureblood's eyes. "What do you mean, Aiyri?"

She sighed heavily. "Let the needless guilt eat you up. Why do you suffocate yourself in all this remorse?"

"Because I feel wretched for not talking to you. After all the years that we've been separated, during the time you spent recovering, you've finally reappeared in my life. I can't not feel self-reproach for pushing you away again," Kaname explained.

Aiyri shook her head. "This isn't the first time I've seen the guilt in your eyes Kaname. Sure, this is the first time that you've openly let me see you in this state, but there were other times..."

Kaname's eyes darkened.

"You don't think I notice?" Aiyri continued, "Ever since I came here, you look at me with this miserable expression in your eyes whenever you don't think I'm paying attention. And even way back before I was sent off to settle into this life. You'd see me sometimes, and I'd notice your eyes dim, just a little." She sighed again, at a loss.

There was silence when the pureblood didn't answer. Aiyri touched his cheek, and he reached to push it closer against his face.

"And here I was, thinking I was being sneaky," Kaname joked lightly.

Aiyri didn't find it humorous. "Kaname-kun, I'm serious."

Kaname closed his eyes, breathing in Aiyri's palm. He exhaled slowly before reopening his eyes and looking at her. "You really don't understand why...?" He mused. "Aiyri, you're a vampire because of me."

Understanding lit up the girl's eyes. "Kaname!" She yelled. "How can you feel so awful about that?! I've forgiven you. We've found a solution to my control problem. There's nothing left to be guilty for."

Kaname was shaking his head. "No Aiyri. There is. If I never bit you, there would never have been a problem to fix. You never would've had to have been sent away to some twisted vampiric rehabilitation. Those were wasted years. Don't you see, Aiyri, I robbed you of the human life that you could've had. Now you're left with a bloodlust craving that cannot be satisfied. I can't forgive myself for doing that to you." He pressed his face into the top of her head, breathing in her scent.

"All these years, that's what's been eating at you," Aiyri said. "It wasn't your fault, Kaname. I should've been more careful walking home. I should have found shelter somewhere and waited out the storm for you. That way, I would never have gotten hurt, and you would never have been tempted in the first place. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault." Aiyri's teeth were gritted, her jaw clenched tightly as she spoke.

But the pureblood wouldn't have it. He argued further, pulling his face from her hair, "It was Aiyri. Even Ryukei said so. We had sent you off to rest, but once I was alone with Ryukei, he lashed out. And I didn't dissent."

At the mention of his name, Aiyri stiffened.

Noticing his mistake, Kaname enclosed Aiyri in his arms, holding her head against his chest. "I'm sorry, Aiyri. I know it hurts you to think about him. I'm sorry."Aiyri buried her face deeper into Kaname's chest, wishing the stream of memories to stop. But they had already begun, and she couldn't push them away.

_The two most familiar voices in her life were speaking with each other as Aiyri was finally waking up after a couple day's sleep._

_"Kaname! How could you have done this to her? You, of all people, should have the most control!" One voice was saying in hushed yells._

_The other one had less force, his words were empty, lost. "I know, Ryukei. I know. I-I... I don't know what happened. It was... I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry won't do anything, she'll be a vampire no matter what,"_

_Aiyri stirred then, and both male vampires turned to her. Ryukei rushed to her side, placing a hand on her cheek. "Aiyri, how are you?"_

_She stared at him a moment, then her green eyes flashed red and Ryukei was against the opposite wall, Aiyri's hands pinning his shoulders. Her fangs were bared, and a fierce, animalistic nature had taken over. The thirst was visible in her eyes._

_"Aiyri!" Kaname yelled. He struggled to wrestle her off of Ryukei, but she clung to him, all the while erupting in angry wails. She turned her head and hissed at Kaname, swiping at him with a hand. He staggered backwards, avoiding her hit. Free of the nuisance, Aiyri leaned, her mouth at Ryukei's neck._

_"Aiyri," Kaname called to her. "Aiyri, I know you're there. Listen to me Aiyri-"_

_But she didn't. She pulled Ryukei away from the wall, hand at his throat, and pitched him across the room. He flew through the door, landing in a heap in the hall. She was on him again in seconds. Ryukei was once again pinned, this time, to the ground. He gripped the redhead's shoulders, fighting to push her off of him to no avail. The pureblood had appeared, and was behind the girl, wrenching him off the other vampire._

_As soon as he was free, Ketsu yelled, "Kaname, why is she like this? She couldn't have fallen this quickly! It doesn't happen like this!"_

_Kuran Kaname was unable to answer. Aiyri twisted in his arms and snarls ripped from her throat as she kicked her legs against the wall behind her, knocking the pureblood onto his back, and freeing her in the process. She went after Ryukei once more._

_This time, he was ready, he positioned himself to grab her outstretched arms and to fling her into the nearest wall. But as the opportunity came, Ryukei couldn't bring himself to harm the girl, even for his own safety. Aiyri's smiling face found its way into his mind, and he was once more tackled onto the floor by the thirsting Level E._

_Aiyri was quicker this time to plunge her fangs into Ryukei's throat. He cried out once in pain, then struggled to push the girl off of him as she drained his blood._

_"Aiyri, please!" He pleaded._

_There was a second's hesitation in her drinking, then she lifted her mouth from his neck and stared at Ryukei, her glowing red eyes dimming. For a moment, the male vampire believed that she was returning. That Aiyri was somehow, impossibly, regaining control. But that hope was diminished as she bent back over and bit into his shoulder. Ryukei winced as her teeth broke through his flesh yet again. Then there was a searing pain where Aiyri's teeth were as Kaname ripped her off of Ryukei._

_Kaname wasted no time. He pushed the redhead to the wall, and raised a hand to the side of her head. A faint violet light enveloped his hand as he touched her temple, then she was unconscious, limp against the wall. The pureblood turned, and dropped her gently back on the bed she was previously sleeping on, then strode over to where Ryukei was slumped on the floor._

_"What the hell was that, Kaname?" He demanded._

_"Ketsu, I don't know..." Kaname extended a hand to Ryukei, but he slapped it away and pushed himself up._

_"She isn't supposed to be a Level E. It's been less than two days," Ryukei said. "Why is her situation different?"_

_"I don't know," Kaname murmured again. "Maybe her change is altered due to her already being half vampire."_

_Ryukei scoffed. "So she's rapidly dropping to a Level E because her father was a Pureblood? That fact should prolong her falling to that state, shouldn't it?"_

_Kaname fell to the foot of the bed where Aiyri was, burying his face in his palms. "I just don't know, Ketsu. I don't have any answers."_

_Ryukei gave a disgusted grunt. "Yeah? Well fine. If you don't have any answers, do you at least have a solution?"_

_Kaname stood, walked out, then returned with a glass in hand. Ryukei watched curiously as the pureblood sat back down on the bed, still holding the thin stemmed cup. Kaname clenched his jaw, then brought a wrist to his mouth, running a fang around the front side of it, drawing his own blood. He let his hand hover above the glass, filling it with the burgundy red liquid._

_"Isn't it too late for that?" Ketsu asked._

_"Do you have any better thoughts?" Kuran inquired. "I'm open to anything at this point."_

_Ryukei's eyebrow twitched irately._

_"I didn't think so. Hold down her arms." Kaname scooted up closed to Aiyri's head as Ryukei climbed on the bed and knelt above her still form, holding her arms down by the elbow's crease. _

_"Ready?" Kaname checked._

_The golden eyed vampire nodded. "Yeah."_

_Reaching a hand back up to her temple, Kaname woke the girl. Her eyes opened slowly, then she began thrashing violently at being held down by Ryukei. As Kaname moved to pour the red liquid into her mouth, Aiyri reacted with impossible swiftness and knocked the glass out of his hand, sending it crashing against a wall._

_"Damn it, Kaname! Do something! I can't hold her for long!" Ketsu yelled._

_Acting on impulse, the pureblood re-sliced his wrist, and pressed his bleeding arm to Aiyri's screaming mouth. Her screams yielded, as did her thrashing, as the sweet taste of blood streamed down her throat. Kaname let Aiyri down his blood, and after three, agonizingly slow minutes, Aiyri's gleaming red eyes dimmed, and shifted back to her normal green shade. At this, the pureblood pulled away his hand, and smiled worriedly _

_as the girl's eyes re-closed. Ryukei climbed off of her, and sat to her right, across the bed from Kaname._

_"Kaname?" Aiyri whispered, her voice coarse._

_"I'm sorry Aiyri. I'm so sorry," He whispered back._

_The girl tuned her head, opening her eyes and facing the other vampire. "Ryukei?"Ryukei put a hand to her forehead, pushing her bangs away from her eyes. "I'm here Aiyri. We'll help you get through this."_

_Aiyri was about to close her eyes and nod back off to sleep, when she caught sight of a red stain spreading along the upper parts of Ryukei's shirt. "Oh God! Ryukei!" She screamed, bolting upright it bed. She was pushed gently back down by the boy._

_"It's alright, Aiyri. It's healing," At this, he pulled his collar down so the girl could better see the wound which was already closing up. "See?"_

_Aiyri wasn't comforted. "What happened to you?!" She looked to either vampire for an answer, but both dropped their heads in hesitation. "Ryukei?" Aiyri urged. Then she recalled Kaname pulling his hand away from her mouth; The salty, rusty smell of blood, and the sweet warmth as it slid down her throat. Her eyes widened, panic-stricken, and her arms wrapped around her stomach._

_"Oh God, it was me," She flung herself into Ryukei, looping her arms about his shoulders, pressing her face into his blood soaked shirt. "Oh, Ryukei! I'm so sorry! I- I don't even remember! I can't believe I attacked you! Oh God... I'm sorry, Ryukei!"_

_A hand on her shoulder stopped her babbling. Aiyri turned her head, tears rolling slowly down her face, and looked Kaname in the eyes. "Oh, Kaname," She whispered. "What's happened to me?"_

_With a wounded expression evident in his eyes, Kaname explained, "Aiyri, it was just two days ago when I-" His voice broke "When... Well, you know. You passed out soon after the transformation had been completed. I carried you home, and you slept, Ryukei and I believed that your body was simply readjusting to the change. But when you woke up, only a few minutes back, you were... completely different. Somehow, you were a Level E."_

_"How?!" Aiyri shrieked._

_Kaname shook his head, knowing no answer. "I have no clue, Aiyri. When I first bit you, do you remember that your wounds healed so quickly? That you so rapidly became one of us?" He glanced briefly at the other vampire, then back at the girl. "Maybe it has something to do with your blood."_

_The girl was lost. "My blood...?"_

_Kaname nodded. "Yes, perhaps something to do with your father..." The pureblood's eyes grew larger, as if the possibilities were just now stumbling into his thoughts._

_But Ryukei cut in before he could continue. "That doesn't even make sense, though. With her father being a Pureblood, that actually should've kept her from turning into a Level E, with his blood running pure through her veins."_

_Kuran Kaname shook his head. "Theoretically, yes, but look at her," That was unnecessary to say, for both of them already had their eyes fixed onto the girl. "Technically, she was human, that was obvious. But do you remember, Ketsu, when Aiyri first came to the Kuran home, she was merely an infant, yet she had a full mouth of sharp teeth, and she already seemed to comprehend all that we were saying?" Kaname paused, as if thinking back to this time himself. "The vampire blood in her, no matter how submissive, still has affected her growth- mental and physical. She's always had a high stamina, and she's always been intelligent. If you think about it, it really does make sense for it to also accelerate her transformation."_

_Aiyri was pouting, attempting to make sense of all this. "Okay, so I became a Level E. Now I'm not, though. Does that mean everything's alright now?"_

_Both boy's shook their heads no. "Far from it, Red," Ryukei commented. "It's not alright to be a bloodsucker."_

_Kaname flinched at his words. "But for now, I suppose you are fine," He murmured._Aiyri was pulled back into the present as a sudden cry of pain reached her ears. She looked up, and Kaname was staring at her with a startled expression. At first, Aiyri was confused as to what she had done, then when she moved her hand to touch his face, she saw a piece of cloth, clinging to her nails. She looked down to his chest and saw a row of little crescents of red, closing up before disappearing completely.

She looked, wide-eyed, up at Kaname.

"I thought you were trying to claw my heart out," He whispered teasingly.

Aiyri shut her eyes and dropped her head against the pureblood's chest once more."I wasn't fine, though, was I Kaname?" She whispered.

"Hm?"

"That day I woke up, after the change. I wasn't 'fine' was I? My body rejected the cure in your blood, and I fell back down to a wretched Level E once more. And I attacked him again." Weakly, Aiyri pounded a fist into Kaname's torso.

He curled a hand around her wrist. "Aiyri..." He said helplessly. "I'm sorry for bringing him up."

The girl inhaled deeply the lovely scent of the pureblood. "Ryukei," she said his name softly, for the first time in years. "You know Kaname, I've been having these dreams..."Kaname's lips pulled up into a smile at the turn the conversation seemed to be taking.

"What about?"

Aiyri was reluctant.

"Aiyri?"

She exhaled slowly. "Well, their all just old memories, pulled out of my subconscious, I guess. The first one I had was strange; it was after we had just yelled at each other. It started out with this woman, pushing her way through the snow. It became apparent that it was my mother. I think that was the first time I met you and-" She stopped herself and quickly jumped onto a new sentence- "But its weird because I was still only a baby, and I don't really know why I remembered it at the time..."

Kaname stroked the back of Aiyri's hair, once again relieved at the shift of topic. "Well, maybe since you and I were fighting, your mind wanted solace, and unconsciously brought up a comforting time you had been through."

Aiyri shrugged. "I guess so. The following two times were anything but comforting though."

"Oh?"

"The next was when my mother left. Then after that was when we received the news that she was… missing," Aiyri fought to keep from choking up. She felt short pause between Kaname's strokes in her hair, then he hurriedly resumed, probably hoping she wouldn't notice.

"You know when you shut down for that week, I was beside myself with panic the entire time. Me and..." He let his voice trail for a moment, not wanting to upset Aiyri again. "We were overjoyed when you seemed to snap out of it."

"Sorry for worrying you."

"You're forgiven, of course."

Aiyri chewed on her bottom lip.

Sensing her unease, Kaname asked, "What is it Aiyri?"

"Do you know why it still hurts, Kaname?" She asked unsurely.

Alarmed, the pureblood's hand ran over the girl's neck.

"Not that," She assured him. "The pain from that is long gone. I was referring to _him_. How come whenever his name comes up, verbally or even in my thoughts, it hurts so badly? There's an ache that clenches down on my chest, and I just feel so..._guilty_."

Kaname placed a kiss on the top of her head. "It seems as if it isn't only me who can't let go of past actions."

Aiyri's shoulders jumped as she for some reason flinched at his words. "It seems so," She agreed.

"You should unchain yourself from the weight of the past, Aiyri. At least your acts were mendable. My sins on the other hand have caused you to be like_ this..._forever.

She beat into his chest again, harder than the last time. "Damn it, Kaname! The next time I attacked him I nearly killed him!" The male vampire cringed slightly, startled. "How can you say that I should let that go? How the hell can I forgive myself for _that_?!"

Kaname put his hands on Aiyri's face, tilting upward so she was looking him in the eyes. He smiled humorlessly at her, willing her with his eyes to understand the meaning of the words she had just spoken.

After a moment, it seemed she did. Aiyri pulled her face away from his hold, and instead placed her palms against his face. "Oh, Kaname," She breathed.

_'This, all a long, was how he had been feeling,'_ Aiyri thought to herself. _'Each time he looked at me, this is the guilt he feels. The unforgivable blame that nibbles at my insides has been devouring his core.'_

Aiyri leaned her cheek against his shoulder. "It's horrible, isn't it, Kaname-kun?"

Kaname wrapped his arms around her in an attempt at comfort. "What is, Aiyri?"

"The sins within us," She whispered.

**A/N::** Reviews please? They would be greatly appreciated. ;)


	13. Shocks

[13] Shocks

A groan passed through Aiyri's lips as she rolled over in bed and dropped her arm on a pillow. As her pillow let out a startled cry, Aiyri's lids pulled opened swiftly and she rolled herself into a crouch on the bed, balanced awkwardly on the balls of her feet. As she saw that the one who had made the sound was Kaname -and that he was not a talking pillow- she allowed herself to relax. She eyed him curiously for a moment, wondering what he was doing in her room, then the episode of the previous night flooded back into her brain. She had cried herself to sleep -for what, the third time this week?- cradled in the arms of the Pureblood, after they had spoken.

He stared at her now, his dark eyes soft and warm as he greeted her good morning. "Did you sleep well, Aiyri?"

She didn't respond, only shifted to crawl across the bed and into Kaname's outstretched arms. She pressed her face into his shoulder and laced her arms loosely around his neck. For a moment she remained there motionlessly, closing her eyes and breathing in his somewhat stately scent. After a short lapse of silence, she opened her eyes and asked drowsily, "What time is it, Kaname-kun?"

The Pureblood placed his chin on top of the girl's head, looking behind her to the window. The sky was gray, with just a hint of pale blue in its hue. The sun was just beginning to rise. A soft chuckle escaped him.

Aiyri pulled back slowly to look up at his face. "What is it? What's funny?"

Kaname looked down to meet her green gaze. "Aiyri, you've got your sleeping schedule all messed up. Its morning. You're supposed to be asleep right now."

The redhead narrowed her eyes. "Why aren't you sleeping then, hmm?"

Kaname laughed again. "I was watching over you sleep." After the words left his lips, his eyes seemed to deepen, suddenly seeming troubled.

This didn't escape Aiyri's attention. "What's the matter Kaname?" She asked him, straightening up in his embrace.

He hesitated for a moment, then smiled softly at her. "You mumble a bit in your sleep, that's all."

This wasn't anything new. Aiyri and Kaname were both aware that she mumbled in her sleep. She also moved around a lot, and on occasion, she even drooled a bit. Why did her sleep talking seem to make him sad? Aiyri tilted her head to one side to show her confusion.

The Pureblood sighed, his gaze slowly trailing to the side, away from her face, wishing that the girl had let it drop. "You say his name," he whispered gently. His hand lifted to absently stroke at the girl's red tresses. "A lot."

Aiyri's lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes tightened marginally as she realized who the Pureblood was referring to. "Oh."

"Do you dream about him?" Kaname asked her, speaking slowly, carefully, hoping that his words would not upset her. There was a pause of hesitation before the redhead answered, and the Pureblood's hand which was stroking her hair abruptly froze, concerned that he had indeed upset her. But when she took in a breath to answer, Kaname let one out in relief, and resumed running his fingers through her short mop of scarlet locks.

"Frequently," She admitted quietly. "I never used to before, but recently, my dreams seem to be featuring him."

Kuran mused this as he slowly stood, sliding the girl off of him. "Hm... I wonder why now?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Aiyri shrugged and said anyway, "Beats me."

After taking a long nap, which she had argued against, Aiyri was now sitting on one of the stone benches that adorned the school grounds, the scent of roses coming off of a bush behind it. Night classes had begun long ago, but Aiyri felt no desire to attend tonight. Since she and Kaname were on good terms now, Ichijou no longer played the role of escort/babysitter.

She heaved out an slightly exaggerated sigh, and leaned back on the bench, staring up into the sky. It was a clear night, and the bright stars glowed brilliantly as they speckled against the midnight blue of the sky. Aiyri shut her eyes and felt her lips curve up into a smile, but it was soon replaced with an irritated pout as she heard someone slide onto the bench beside her.

"Shouldn't you be in class, Kuran-sama?" The voice that spoke was not familiar to her, but it was not a stranger's voice either. Aiyri knew she heard it somewhere before, but she could not, at first, place who it belonged to.

The title with which she was addressed with confused her for a moment, when she remembered what Kaname had told her: _"To the Day Class, you are Aiyri Kuran..."_Aiyri opened her eyes and slid a glance at the unwelcome newcomer. It was the prefect, Zero Kiriyu. The light of the moon reflected off his silver hair, giving it a luminescent glow. He peeked at her through the corners of his eyes. When she turned to him, he mirrored the action.

"Kiriyu-san," She murmured, somewhat surprised to see him. "Hi."

His reply was a small nod, a tight frown upon his lips.

"Is something bothering you, Kiriyu-san?" Aiyri pulled her legs up on the bench, turning her body so she was facing the boy entirely. He was staring at her as though she were an anomaly that he was trying very hard to figure out. When he didn't seem to hear her, Aiyri reached to gently tap his knee.

"Kiriyu-san? Is there a problem?" She asked again.

He appeared to have heard her this time, blinking twice then focusing his eyes on the girl. "Oh. I'm sorry, Kuran-sama. I was thinking for a moment."

"Alright." Aiyri gave one brisk nod. "Anno... Kiriyu-san, would you mind just calling me Aiyri? 'Kuran-sama' is so proper, I think it'd be okay to drop the formalities here."

Zero nodded slightly, his eyes for some reason smoldering intensely. "Sure, Aiyri."

A lapse in sound lingered when neither one knew what to say. Aiyri's hand trailed to the side, fiddling with a petal of a flower from the rose bush behind the bench. She finally spoke, uneasy with the silence. "So, I guess you know about vampires, huh, Kiriyu-san?" She asked, nonchalant. The pale haired boy stiffened, only a bit. Aiyri, catching the slight movement, chose to ignore it. "Well, I guess you'd have to know, seeing you're a prefect and all... Also seeing that you were part of a great family of Hunters..." She mumbled more to herself now. "Never mind, then. That was kind of a dumb thing to say."

Zero breathed a sigh and spoke with stiff words. "Yes, that's all correct, Aiyri."

There was another pause, shorter than the one prior.

"Does it make you ... uncomfortable, knowing you're always around vampires?" She wondered. "If I was a human, and I had to actually watch over vampires... I don't know how I'd feel."

The boy shrugged, leaving that as his only answer.

"Well that was specific," Aiyri muttered sarcastically. "Anyway," She said as she leaped to her feet on the bench. "I guess I should head over to class now." The girl's green eyes peeked down at Zero as he slowly stood up off the bench.

"It'll probably be over soon. By the time you get there it will be ending already," He mumbled stoically. "You might as well just go back to your dorm. I'll take you."

"'Kay." As Aiyri said this, she hopped off the bench, landing on her bare toes beside the prefect. "Just one sec."

Zero watched with mild interest as the girl crouched to reach out under the stone bench. After searching around with her hand, she suddenly gave a small cry of discomfort. Before he could ask what was wrong, Aiyri had retrieved her hand from beneath the bench, pulling out a pair of beaten black sneakers. With a flip of her wrist, she tossed the shoes onto the ground, slipping her naked feet into them.

Kiriyu had an eyebrow raised inquisitively. "Shouldn't you be wearing socks? And maybe more practical sh-" Then the smell hit him hard. His eyes flew up from Aiyri's shoes to meet her eyes.

She was frowning, looking to be piqued at her hand. Recklessly, she plucked out a thorn covered vine from her arm. "Damn roses!" She cursed. She tossed the prickled stem to the side. Aiyri barely noticed Zero's eyes flash to her arm and freeze there. Oozing slowly down her forearm from various small, yet deep wounds was a thick red liquid. She was about to raise it to her lips, to clean off the blood, but the boy caught her wrist.

"What is it, Kiriyu-san?" She asked with an uncertain voice, for he was intensely staring at the blood dripping down her hand. "Zero?"

The boy snapped his gaze up from her hand and locked with her eyes. Aiyri couldn't stifle her stunned gasp. Zero's normally pale ivory eyes were glowing a scarily familiar red. He let out a pained breath, as if he were fighting what was happened. Too shocked to move, Aiyri simply met his gaze with shocked eyes.

"Oh God," She muttered. "You're a vampire."

Zero did not say a word. Aiyri's arm was limp when he pulled her wrist to his mouth, puncturing the skin with his elongated fangs. Aiyri let out a small whimper of shock, but was too staggered to pull her hand away. Zero slowly broke away, and Aiyri believed that he was going to stop, but instead, with a swift glance back up at her, he pulled her arm closer to his face. His eyes shone a brighter red as he flicked his tongue along the small cuts along the girl's arm. Her viridian eyes followed as Zero's tongue made its way down her forearm, lapping at the small wounds left behind by the rose's spiny stem.

"Zero!" She shouted, attempting to tug her arm away. His grip only tightened around her wrist. The flow of blood seeping from the cuts was slowing, and, thirsting for more, the male vampire opened his mouth and grazed his teeth up Aiyri's arm and to her wrist. There was a sharp pain as Kiriyu's fangs once more pierced through her skin. When Aiyri tried again to free herself, his fangs only dug deeper into her wrist, sinking in his teeth into the flesh, letting the warm blood flow freely.

The girl felt the warmth of her blood flow onto her skin before she saw the red liquid. Long trails of the crimson blood began to drip down her wrist as Zero pulled the blood from her arm. Taken over by his blood lust, he pressed her wrist tighter to his mouth, wanting more.

"Zero, stop it!" Aiyri struggled in his grasp, trying to backpedal and move away from the boy. His head jerked up at her movement, and he bared blood soaked teeth angrily at her. Aiyri stumbled as Zero gave one strong pull on her arm, sending her tumbling into him. She felt his arms encircle her, and trap her against his body. His steamy breath hit her neck, and she shuddered. Her hands went up instinctively, placing themselves against the boy's chest, trying to push away with no avail. Not wanting to give up, but not seeing any other option Aiyri shut her eyes and waited for the quick, sharp pain that she would feel when Zero bit into her throat.

Then came an all too familiar voice, "Aiyri? Kiriyu?" At the sudden interruption, Zero turned his head around to see who was coming. Aiyri heard the newcomer's footsteps approach slowly at first, then quickened in pace as he probably realized what was going on. When Kiriyu had turned, the one moving towards them could now be seen. It was a confirmation of who she thought it was.

Before Aiyri could call out to him, there was a blur, and suddenly she was pushed back by a fierce shove, and she stumbled on to her back side.

"Snap out of it you idiot!" The voice demanded, but not to her. There was a sharp, whip-like sound, and Aiyri's eyes widened as a faint red blotch appeared on Zero's cheek. He'd been slapped. His eyes unsurely lifted to lock onto Aiyri, and -thankfully- they were back to normal ivory pools rather than having a blood red radiance. He was on the ground as well, having also been shoved down. His head dropped, shamefaced, and he scrambled to his feet. Hastily, he walked off, wiping an arm across his mouth.

"Aidou-kun!" Aiyri crowed, with a rather squeaky voice, as her eyes fell on to the one who was left behind.

The blond straightened from where he had been crouched over Zero, and swiveled to face the girl. "You sound happy to see me, Aiyri-_chan._" He was smiling, self-satisfied, and walked over to her. Within a few feet of the girl, he suddenly froze.

"Aidou?" The redhead pushed herself up to her feet, reaching a hand out to him. Then she quickly dropped it to her side, seeing that it was smeared up to her elbow with streaks of her blood. The blond eyed her arm, a dangerous craving in his eyes. He took a step forward, hand outstretched. His eyes were still blue, but Aiyri wasn't sure how long that would last. She took a wary step back.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Aiyri. Let me see," He beckoned. "C'mon."

Hesitantly, Aiyri lifted her arm up to the boy, eyeing him with caution. With the close proximity of her blood, the blond's eyes flashed red, but then quickly settled back into an ice blue. At the shift in eye color, Aiyri began to move backwards again, but Aidou was quicker and caught her wrist. "Remember what I said before, Aiyri-chan? At the church?"Aiyri stared at him blankly.

The blond vampire's mouth twisted up into a smirk as he whispered, "I won't bite...neh?"

The redhead was still for a moment, her mind tracing back to that day, remembering that Aidou had said those three words, and he had meant it. He hadn't bitten her. Trusting him to be true to his word again, she stepped forward, letting him hold her wrist more loosely."What happened to you, Aiyri?" Aidou asked as his eyes roved over her skin. Judging from the crimson desire that flashed recurrently in his eyes, Aiyri could tell that he was struggling to keep his thirst in check.

She dropped her eyes to the ground, raising and then dropping her shoulders languidly. "A few thorns decided to embed themselves into my arm. When I pulled them out I started bleeding, and Zero kind of lost it." She shrugged again, playing at blasé. "No one bothered to mention to me that he was a vampire, so I was taken by surprise when his eyes suddenly flashed red."

Aidou reached out to her with his other hand, cupping her chin and pulling her face up to look at him. "Aiyri," He asked, his voice husky with intensity. An emotion resembling uncertainty flashed briefly in his eyes, disappearing as quickly as it had come. Then he smiled, and his tone turned joking. "How did you manage get thorns in your arm?"

The girl pursed her lips. "Well, I was reaching under the bench for my shoes, and I didn't realize that the rosebush continued beneath the stone seat. It was a stupid thing, really."

Shaking his head, Aidou laughed, amused. "Can you answer me one more thing?"

Aiyri nodded. "Sure."

"Why aren't you healing?" He asked, removing his hand from her chin and trailing a finger down her arm, linking the disconnected cuts with her still trickling blood. Transfixed on the liquid, Aidou lifted his finger to his lips and placed it slyly into his mouth, smirking when the taste graced his tongue. "Mmm..." He breathed.

Aiyri rolled her eyes. "At least you don't bite," She muttered under her breath, though knowing no doubt that the blond still heard her.

He met her irritated stare. "Well?"

Aiyri was tentative whenever it came to specifics of her being a vampire. Heaving out a breath, she told him, "I'm not sure actually. With me, there are mostly just theories and speculation. Kaname thinks that maybe since my father was a Pureblood-"

Aidou's eyes widened and his fingers squeezed her wrist. He hadn't known this. Aiyri raised her eyebrows at him in a blatantly inquisitive expression. When his grip on her arm loosened, she picked up where she left off.

"…That maybe have had something to do with the rapidity of my growth, physically as well as mentally. Kaname thought that because of this, all the aspects of me as I progressed in life were sped up in some manner. He theorized that my father's blood that ran through my veins caused me to..." Aiyri's eyes grew larger as if speaking Kaname's theories aloud for herself was making them clearer.

"Yes, it makes sense now! Because of my father, I became a vampire so quickly. When Kaname bit me, I changed within minutes of the bite, and afterwards, all my wounds were healed. And what he said before, about my father's blood speeding up my system... Yes! That's why I dropped so quickly... I understand it now. And I probably don't heal right be-" She winced, and paused to glare at Aidou. "Hey, that hurts, Aidou, let me go."

His hold on her wrist suddenly constricted, actually cutting off the blood flow to her hand. Aidou's eyes were frozen wide, gaping incredulously at the girl. "You were... bitten?! By Kaname-sama? What do you mean you 'dropped'? As in, Level E?!"

Aiyri bit her lip. "Oh. I've said too much." She took a step towards Aidou, her green eyes flaming with intensity. "Aidou... Don't- You won't say anything, right?"

He appeared to be fixed immobile for a moment, but then quickly regained his composure. His hand slackened on Aiyri's wrist, and moved up her arm, stopping at her elbow. His other hand came up to rest on the girl's shoulder.

"Of course I won't Aiyri. I made good on my promise about keeping your identity secret, neh? I've told no one that you're Aiyri Kurushii. What's another little secret to add on top of that?" Aidou shrugged, his lips slowly forming their way into a smirk. "So, you can't heal?"

Aiyri eyed him suspiciously, but answered, "No. I think, during that day I was changed, I healed and altered _too_ quickly..."

"So it's another theory saying that your healing was basically _used up_ that day, then?" Aidou asked, trying and failing to hide the burning curiosity from his voice.

"Yeah, pretty much." Aiyri slipped her arm from out of Aidou's grasp, his fingers loosening as she did so.

The blond gave her a small smirk, dropping his arm onto her shoulders. "You are _so_ interesting, Aiyri-chan. Care to tell me more?"

The redhead rolled her eyes, knowing that despite her reluctance, she was going to have to talk to Aidou anyway. It was going to be a long walk back to the dorms.


End file.
